Ingredients
4-6 firm beurre bosc pears, depending on size
1 bottle of red wine (750mL)
1/3 C sugar (2 Tbsp honey)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
1 tsp of cloves
*I saw a recipe like this which included a tsp of coriander seeds – sounds good too!
Summary
A wonderful Winter warmer. We’ve crossed the solstice, and the nights are long though now inching towards the light, which is as good a time as any to simmer a pot of pears in spiced red wine (how decadent, how impressive) and make the house smell divine. A dollop of cream or vanilla ice cream on the side is optional but recommended.
Spiced pears in wine
Heat wine, sugar/honey and spices until sugar dissolves. Add pears – leave them whole or slice in half, peel or don’t peel… up to you. I added a half cup of water to help cover them as they were quite large.
Simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until soft when kindly stabbed with a knife. Leave to cool, then serve – or carefully remove the soft pears and reduce the liquid further (for about half an hour) until it has thickened and become more syrupy.
Enjoy pears with spoonfuls of the ruby nectar, along with a dollop of cream, ice cream, yoghurt, baked honey ricotta etc!
* I don’t have a slow cooker, but having consulted some recipes on this I’d say poaching everything for 4-5 hours in your slow cooker (or 2 hours on high) is a great idea and a high contender for a winter dinner party win. (Have I mentioned the house smells AMAZING when cooking these?). Simmer the remaining liquid in a pot on the stove to make a thicker syrup, or serve as is.
