This Red Wine Poached Pears recipe is a simple, yet elegant dessert that is perfect for a winter dinner party. Pears are poached in red wine and served with a dollop of vegan ice cream, toasted walnuts, and fresh rosemary. You can’t go wrong with this easy and impressive dessert!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These red wine-poached pears are elegant and full of festive flavors.
- They are also a beautiful color which makes them perfect for the holidays.
- Plus, they are super easy to make!
Ingredients
Making these poached pears are so simple. Just gather all of these ingredients and get ready to enjoy this delicious holiday treat!
- bosc pears, cored & peeled
- red wine (see notes)
- spiced apple cider
- organic cane sugar
- orange, juice and peel
- lemon, juice & peel
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon sticks
- star anise
Garnish
Equipment
You only need a few simple pieces of kitchen equipment make to this easy recipe. Gather these tools and get ready to enjoy this beautiful dessert.
- cutting board
- knife
- medium saucepot with a lid
- tongs
- peeler
How to Make This Red Wine Poached Pears Recipe
Making these poached pears is really simple. Just follow the directions below and you will have a flavorful sweet treat that will wow your friends and family will enjoy in no time at all.
- Add red wine, apple cider, cane sugar, orange juice, orange peel, lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks, and star anise to a medium saucepan. Make sure that the saucepan is large enough to fit all of the pears, with enough wiggle room to baste the pears.
- Bring the red wine and juice mixture to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- While the sugar is dissolving peel the pears with a vegetable peeler, and core them from the bottom.
- Once the sugar is dissolved reduce the heat to medium-low heat and add the pears to the saucepan. I like to add the pears by standing them straight up on their bottoms.
- Add the lid to the pot and poach the pairs for about 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes baste the top and sides of the pairs with the red wine mixture and return the lid.
- Repeat this process for 45 minutes or until the pears are soft, and a deep red color.
- Once the pears are soft and beautifully colored, carefully remove them from the pot with tongs. Do not lift them by the stems.
- Transfer the pears to your serve dish or bowls gently.
- After you have removed the pears from the red wine mixture, turn the heat to high, and bring the red wine back to a boil.
- Allow the wine to boil until it reduces to a glaze or syrup consistency.
- Remove from heat.
- Assemble the poached pears into bowls with toasted walnuts, a scoop of vanilla vegan ice cream, and a sprinkle of fresh rosemary.
- Drizzle the wine glaze over top of the pears and ice cream.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheat in the microwave for 30 to one minute. Or return the red wine glaze to a saucepan and add a couple of tablespoons of water. Place the pears in the glaze and reheat in the saucepan until warm.
Pro Tips
Here are a few tips to make sure that your poached pears turn out perfectly every time that you make them.
- Use firm pear. I like to use bosc pears. Other pears are okay, but use a firmer pear is needed so that they hold up in the poaching process.
- Peel the pairs, and remove the core. Keep the stem.
- Peel the pears with a vegetable peel, Use a corer with it upside down or a melon baller to remove the core. Do it from the bottom so that you can’t see it, and keep the stem on.
- If your pot is bigger, our pears can leave on their sides, so that the red wine coats them well (if you are using
- Don’t pull them out by the stem, you want to keep the stem intact for these pears.
- I like to use an inexpensive bottle of wine is perfect for this recipe.
FAQs
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions for this recipe.
A fruity wine like a Riesling or Moscato is a great choice. You can also use white wine or even red wine. I’ve used Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon before with great results.
No, you don’t have to use alcohol, but it does help to add flavor. You can use apple cider, white grape juice, or even cranberry juice.
You can store them in the fridge for up to three days.
Red Wine Poached Pears
- Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4 bosc pears (or similar firm pears), cored & peeled
- 1 750ml bottle red wine (see notes)
- 1 cup spiced apple cider
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 orange, juice and peel
- 1 lemon, juice & peel
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise
Garnish
Instructions
- Add red wine, apple cider, cane sugar, orange juice, orange peel, lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks, and star anise to a medium saucepan. Make sure that the saucepan is large enough to fit all of the pears, with enough wiggle room to baste the pears.
- Bring the red wine and juice mixture to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- While the sugar is dissolving peel the pears with a vegetable peeler, and core them from the bottom.
- Once the sugar is dissolved reduce the heat to medium-low heat and add the pears to the saucepan. I like to add the pears by standing them straight up on their bottoms.
- Add the lid to the pot and poach the pairs for about 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes baste the top and sides of the pairs with the red wine mixture and return the lid.
- Repeat this process for 45 minutes or until the pears are soft, and a deep red color.
- Once the pears are soft and beautifully colored, carefully remove them from the pot with tongs. Do not lift them by the stems.
- Transfer the pears to your serve dish or bowls gently.
- After you have removed the pears from the red wine mixture, turn the heat to high, and bring the red wine back to a boil.
- Allow the wine to boil until it reduces to a glaze or syrup consistency.
- Remove from heat.
- Assemble the poached pears into bowls with toasted walnuts, a scoop of vanilla vegan ice cream, and a sprinkle of fresh rosemary.
- Drizzle the wine glaze over top of the pears and ice cream.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Recommended red wine types: Zinfandel, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alcohol or zero-alcohol red wine works well for this recipe.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 55
