Red wine Poached Pears with cinnamon

These drunken pears infused the the unmistakeable aromatics of Christmas are a muted, sophisticated, but still celebratory dish worthy of your Yuletide table. 

This recipe for red wine poached pears with cinnamon is very simple, but relies on the quality of the ingredients used. Make sure you select a pear with a good flavour and firm texture. Don’t worry about it looking ugly – oncee peeled and poached they will look absolutely gorgeous.

The rule with red wine is always that if you wouldn’t drink it, you shouldn’t cook it – this is especially true here so please don’t skimp on the plonk! Good quality vanilla pods and cinnamon sticks are also non negotiable – don’t even think about using powdered or liquid versions of either.

Red wine Poached Pears

Ingredients

• 750ml bottle red wine
• 200g caster sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways then halved across to make 4 strips
• 4 pears, peeled

Instructions:

1. Pour the red wine, caster sugar, vanilla and cinnamon into a deep pot and heat on a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Now, add the pears – they should be covered in wine – then allow to simmer for around half an hour. They should become soft.
2. Take the pears out of the pan with a slotted spoon and boil the syrup for another half an hour to make it more viscous. Cool, then chill for up to 2 days. Remove from the fridge 1 hour before serving.
3. Add ice cream or vanilla cream!

A a self confessed lover of mulled wine, I find this recipe the perfect compromise in our warmer weather. it’s also great for chocolate allergies, or just as an antidote to all in the incredibly rich desserts so often brought out on Christmas. In fact, if you squint, it’s almost a fruit salad!