Poached Pears

By davidv

This elegant dessert doesn’t come with difficult instructions. Impress your guests at your next dinner party. Or, make your holiday menu seem a little more upscale.

Tip: The port can be omitted entirely if you don’t care for the flavor or have it on hand. Just use extra red wine. You can also substitute the ice cream for whipped or Devonshire cream.

Ingredients

• 3 cups ruby port wine
• 3 cups red wine
• 2-1/4 cups sugar
• 3 star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• Rind of 1 lemon, skin only (no white flesh)
• Rind of 1 orange, skin only (no white flesh)
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split & seeds scraped
• 7 firm ripe pears, peeled
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Combine the port wine, red wine, sugar, star anise, cinnamon, lemon rind, orange rind, plus the vanilla bean and its seeds in a 5-qt (or larger) stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

While the liquid is simmering, cut a 1⁄8" off each pear bottom to make a flat surface. Place them into the stockpot. Cook, covered, for about 45–55 minutes, or until the pears are cooked through and a knife slides through them with ease.

Turn off the heat and let the pears cool in the poaching liquid. Remove the pears and set aside.

Return the liquid to medium heat and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the liquid reduces and becomes a syrup-like consistency. Strain into a small bowl.

Stand the pears upright in serving bowls and drizzle the syrup on top. Serve with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.