Poached pears ()
The first time my husband and I had this dish we were visiting a tiny restaurant in the Beaujolais wine region in France. On the menu the dish was listed as “simple pears stewed in a red wine syrup.” That description is a complete understatement. This dish is intensely decadent. It can be best described as Christmas in a bowl. I fell in love. The following Christmas, we decided to make it. I was intimidated and thought for certain it would be complicated to make. It turns out that French menu was right–this dish is actually simple, but not in flavor.
POIRE À LA BEAUJOLAISE: Poached pears in Beaujolais wine and black currant sauce
INGREDIENTS:
4 ripe but firm pears 1 bottle of Beaujolais red wine 1 cup of crème de cassis (black currant liqueur) 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 fresh vanilla bean 2 cloves 1 small cinnamon stick 6 black peppercorns 1 medium orange sliced
OPTIONAL: Mint leaves Ginger snaps
Start by adding to a sauce pan the whole bottle of Beaujolais wine along with the peppercorns, cloves, oranges, vanilla bean pod (split in two), cinnamon stick and sugar. Cook on medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil.
While you are heating the sauce, you can prepare the pears. Peel the skin but leave the stem in place. Cut a small slice off the bottom of each pear so they will sit up straight. Cut the lemon in half and rub the lemon all over each pear while gently coating with lemon juice.
Add pears to the sauce. Reduce heat to low setting. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Gently remove pears and place in a separate bowl. Scoop out about 2/3 cup of the wine sauce and pour over pears. Then add 20 ml of black currant liqueur. Let the pears cool for about 30 minutes to an hour.
Remove the oranges from the sauce. Reduce the remaining liquid. Increase heat to medium and let the sauce cook until it has a syrup consistency. The longer you reduce the liquid, the more intense the flavor will be. Usually about 20-30 minutes with an occasional stir. Strain the sauce to remove the whole spices. Let cool for about 30 minutes.
Serve! This dish can be served warm or cold. I like it best at room temperature. You can serve the pear whole or cut into slices. Garnish to your taste.
(Adapted from French Cooking Academy.)
