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Poached pears have never really appealed to me. I think I imagined the dish to be mushy and bland, which is crazy because I love both pears and wine. When I recently found some extra homemade Riesling in the basement, the light bulb turned on: why not try my favourite sweet white wine along with some Boscs (my favourite pear)? I loaded up on the spices as well, guaranteeing that this dessert is packed with flavour. After poaching the pears and plating them, there was still something missing – a creamy element. I found some chevre in my fridge and one dollop provided the perfect amount of velvety tartness these poached pears needed. Voila!
Spiced Riesling Poached Pears
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Riesling wine
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 oranges, zested and juiced
- 3 cloves
- 3 thick slices ginger
- 1 stick cinnamon, about 5cm
- 5 whole peppercorns
- a good grating of nutmeg
- 6 ripe but firm Bosc pears
- 6 tbsp plain chevre
Instructions
- Add wine and sugar to a heavy-bottomed pot, bringing to a boil.
- Turn heat down to low and add orange juice and zest, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, peppercorns, and nutmeg. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove skin from pears with a vegetable peeler, leaving stems in place. Slice off bottom of the pear, giving it a flat base to stand up for plating.
- Gently lower pears into pot and simmer, partially covered, on low heat for 30 minutes or until soft but not mushy.
- Take pears out of pot and place in a bowl.
- Turn heat up to medium high and cook remaining liquid until thick and syrupy, about 15 minutes. Place pears back in syrup to reheat them for 2 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, remove pears and place in individual serving bowls.
- Pour syrup through a metal sieve to remove spices and peel, dividing evenly over pears. Garnish with a spoon of chevre for each pear and serve immediately.
These are gorgeous! I love poached pears, and I’ve never thought to poach them in wine. Great idea!
Thanks JessicaJ! What else have you poached pears in?