Wine Poached Pears

WIne-Pears-Poached-and-Sliced

Imagine the rich taste of a full bodied red wine mixed with the sweet crispness of a pear, both drizzled with dark ganache. Sound decadent? This recipe will make the perfect Valentines Day dessert, ending to a stressful day, or just give you a reason to spoil yourself a little. Not mention, the poaching process will make for a delicious, vanilla accented, scent waft through your home.

What you’ll need

3 pears

One bottle of red wine

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons Gygi Mulling Spice

Zest of one orange, cut into strips

1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla bean paste (or Madagascar extract)

To get started, wash and peel all the pears.

Wine-Pears-Peeled

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

pouring-wine

mulling-spice

Wine-Pears-Orange-Peel

Wine-Pears-Vanilla

If the wine doesn’t completely cover the pears, add a little water until the pears are completely covered (this will depend on the size of your pears). Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and poach until the pears are tender, this will take about 45-50 minutes. Remove the pears from the liquid and set aside.

Gygi Pro Tip: Poaching is a cooking technique that involves submerging an ingredient, usually a delicate ingredient, i.e., egg, fruit, poultry, or fish, into a liquid, such as, water, milk, stock, or wine.

Poaching is considered a moisture cooking technique that uses relatively low temperatures ranging from 160-180 F. This is usually the stage before simmering, or barley simmering. The key to properly poached food is to ensure it is completely submerged in liquid.

Wine-Pears-Poached

Strain the remaining poaching liquid into a large pot and cook over high heat until reduced to about 1 to 1 1/2 cups. Drizzle the syrup over the pears. Serve warm.

To add that extra dose of sweetness, make a rich dark chocolate ganache to drizzle over the pears.

What You’ll Need

Callebaut Dark Chocolate snaps

Heavy whipping cream

Use a 1:1 ratio for the chocolate and cream. For more of a detailed ganache instruction read our Chocolate Tips and Recipes From The Chocolate Extravaganza.

Poached-Wine-Pears

Enjoy!

 

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