Elegant and easy poached pears are always a wonderfully festive holiday dessert . There are different ways of preparing poached pears but these juicy sweet colorful ones are my favorite of all. Their bold red color and richly spiced flavor are a most celebratory nod to the coming holiday season. They add a stunning sweet touch to the table when served and look amazing to see and taste! These delicate and delicious spiced red wine poached pears are a simple and elegant holiday dessert that’s sure to impress.
Their bold red color sets in from being gently poached in a pot of red wine and cranberry juice which later gets reduced into a sweet lovely sauce that you can spoon over the fruit to give it that extra touch of gorgeous colorful red glaze.
How To Make Poached Pears For Christmas Dessert!
The poaching liquid is what really brings this dessert to life with color and festive holiday flavor.
To create the poaching liquid, I add some red wine to a saucepan and splash in some cranberry juice. I’ll spice it with some whole cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. If desired, sprinkle in a little ground allspice for more flavor.
Peel Pears Leaving The Stem Attached
For this easy poached pears recipe you’ll serve as a holiday dessert, you’ll want to use a tasty pear that will soften during the cooking process and absorb the liquid but also stay firm enough to hold its shape. I used Bosc pears because they tend to stand up well to the cooking process. Peel your pears using a potato peeler and try to take care to leave the stems still in tact as it makes for a beautiful presentation when these are finished poaching!
When you finish peeling the pears, level out the bottoms of the fruit by slicing off the very ends. This will allow the pears to sit nicely and upright when you plate them later on.
Combine The Poaching Liquid to cook pears
For the poaching liquid, combine red wine, cranberry juice (I actually used cranberry pomegranate juice), and sugar. Any dry red wine will do such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot. If it’s good enough to drink, it’s good enough to poach!
Toss in cinnamon sticks and cloves. Bring the liquid to a simmer and then lay your peeled pears (with the stem in tact) in the saucepan. Try to use a pot that’s just wide enough to accommodate three medium sized pears resting longways. I used a 2 1/2 quart saucepan and nestled them in there just fine.
How To Make Poached Pears In Poaching Liquid
As the liquid heats and the pears begin to poach and cook in the liquid, the spices will release their flavor into the liquid, and the pears will start to take on the red color of the wine and juice. The whole kitchen pretty much smells like Christmas while this simmers away on the stove! You can taste the poaching liquid and add more sugar if it’s not sweet to your liking but remember, we will reduce this liquid once the pears are out of the pan. It will become even sweeter when reduced down to a sauce.
As the pears poach and cook in the sauce, turn them about every 5 minutes or so throughout the cooking process to ensure an even coat of color. I use two wooden spoons to turn mine every so often so as not to bruise the flesh as they cook. I also ladle them with the cooking liquid every so often. This gives them a rich red color that I love to see when I serve these.
after about 25 to 35 minutes, the pears will be softened and cooked. They will have absorbed much of the red color from the liquid and you can remove them from the pan and set aside.
Reduce The Poaching Liquid
Reduce the spiced wine poaching liquid down to about a half cup and you’ll notice it will thicken. Drizzle it over the plated poached pears.
Garnish Poached Pears and Serve As a Festive THanksgiving Dessert or CHristmas Dessert
Garnish with some rosemary and dried cranberries. As the cranberries sit, they soak up the spiced red wine sauce and become little luscious bites of deliciousness.
Serve these red wine poached pears alongside a holiday or Thanksgiving meal as a beautiful, festive, and colorful dessert that your guests will truly enjoy and appreciate! It’s the ultimate festive holiday dessert that will really add a memorable and special touch to the end of a most special meal.
Easy Poached Pears In Spiced Red Wine Sauce | Christmas Dessert Idea
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Bosc Pears
- 1 1/2 cup Dry Red Wine - Such as Merlot
- 1 cup Cranberry Juice - I used cranberry pomegranate
- 2 whole Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 tsp Cloves
- 1 tsp Ground Allspice - optional
- 3 tbsp Sugar
Instructions
- Peel pears with a vegetable peeler being careful to leave the stems in tact. Level off the bottom of each pear by slicing off the very bottom so they easily sit upright when ready to serve. Set aside.
- In a saucepan big enough to accomodate pears, combine red wine, cranberry juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and sugar. Stir to combine and bring the liquid to a simmer.
- Lay the peeled pears in the pan and spoon some of the poaching liquid to coat them a few times. Bring the liquid back up to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook pears for 25 to 35 minutes until softened through, turning them every 5 or 10 minutes to help them evenly absorb the liquid, flavor and color.
- Once the pears are softened and cooked through, remove them from the pan and place them upright on a serving plate and set aside. Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves from the poaching liquid and reduce the liquid down to about a half cup.
- Once reduced, the liquid will lightly thicken. Sprinkle some dried cranberries over the plated poached pears. Ladle them with the reduced spiced red wine poaching liquid. Garnish with fresh rosemary and cranberries if desired.
Check out another fall and holiday-ready side with these roasted sweets n’ beets!
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