Red Wine-Poached Pears with Black Pepper and Cloves
By America's Test KitchenPublished on December 3, 2007
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
For the best texture, try to buy pears that are neither fully ripe nor rock hard; choose those that yield just slightly when pressed. Use a vegetable peeler to peel strips of zest, but take care to avoid the bitter pith beneath the skin. We skip the lemon water bath for the pears in this variation for two reasons: the flavor of lemon and red wine clash in our opinion, and (unlike white wine) the color of the red wine will mask any browning that occurs as the pears are being prepped in step 2. For the red wine, choose a dry medium-bodied red, such as a Côtes du Rhône, Pinot Noir, or Merlot.
Instructions
- Bring the wine, sugar, peppercorns, cloves, mint, thyme, vanilla seeds and pod, cinnamon, and salt to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves completely, about 5 minutes; cover and set aside until needed.
- Peel, halve, and core the pears following the illustrations in the related quick tips. Add the pears to the wine mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until pears are tender and a toothpick or skewer can be inserted into pear with very little resistance, 10 to 20 minutes, gently turning the pears over every 5 or so minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fruit to a shallow casserole dish. Return the syrup to medium heat and simmer until it is slightly thickened and measures 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer, then pour over the pears, discarding the strained solids. Refrigerate the pears until well chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. To serve, spoon portions of fruit and syrup into individual bowls.
Yield
Serves 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Before You Begin
For the best texture, try to buy pears that are neither fully ripe nor rock hard; choose those that yield just slightly when pressed. Use a vegetable peeler to peel strips of zest, but take care to avoid the bitter pith beneath the skin. We skip the lemon water bath for the pears in this variation for two reasons: the flavor of lemon and red wine clash in our opinion, and (unlike white wine) the color of the red wine will mask any browning that occurs as the pears are being prepped in step 2. For the red wine, choose a dry medium-bodied red, such as a Côtes du Rhône, Pinot Noir, or Merlot.
Instructions
- Bring the wine, sugar, peppercorns, cloves, mint, thyme, vanilla seeds and pod, cinnamon, and salt to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves completely, about 5 minutes; cover and set aside until needed.
- Peel, halve, and core the pears following the illustrations in the related quick tips. Add the pears to the wine mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until pears are tender and a toothpick or skewer can be inserted into pear with very little resistance, 10 to 20 minutes, gently turning the pears over every 5 or so minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fruit to a shallow casserole dish. Return the syrup to medium heat and simmer until it is slightly thickened and measures 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer, then pour over the pears, discarding the strained solids. Refrigerate the pears until well chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. To serve, spoon portions of fruit and syrup into individual bowls.
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