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mulled wine poached pears
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Mulled Wine Poached Pears

These mulled wine poached pears are sweet, tender & flavoured with warming Winter spices. It's a festive twist on the classic French dessert!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Servings: 6 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Large Saucepan
  • Veg Peeler
  • Melon Baller
  • Juicer
  • Sieve

Ingredients

  • 6 Conference Pears
  • 1 Lemon (Juiced)

Mulled Wine

  • 750 ml Red Wine (See Notes)
  • 1 Orange
  • 100 g Caster Sugar
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 1 Star Anise
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 5 Cloves
  • ½ A Vanilla Pod (Or 1 tsp Of Vanilla Paste)
  • Freshly Grated Nutmeg

Mulled Wine Syrup - Optional

  • 75 g Caster Sugar

Instructions

Prepping The Pears

  • Fill a bowl with cold water then stir in the lemon juice.
  • Next, peel the pears with a vegetable peeler then cut a small amount off the bottom of each pear, so that they sit flat.
  • Use a melon baller (or a teaspoon) to scoop out the core from the bottom of each pear then place into the lemon water (this stops them going brown).
    I'd recommend working with one pear at a time. Coring the pears is optional as well!

Mulled Wine

  • Add the red wine into a large saucepan then cut the peel off the orange & add both the peel & juice into the wine.
    Try to get as little pith on the peel as possible. Make sure to use a pan big enough to hold all the pears.
  • Next, add the sugar, cinnamon, star anise, bay leaf, cloves, vanilla & a small amount of grated nutmeg into the wine then set the pan over a low heat.
    If you're using a vanilla pod, scrape the seeds out with a knife then add both the seeds & pod into the wine.
  • Gently warm the wine, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved then add in the pears, making sure that they are completely covered.
    If the wine doesn't cover the pears, use a smaller pan or add in more wine. You'll need to lay the pears on their side.
  • Make a cartouche of baking parchment (a circle of parchment) with a vent hole cut in the centre then place over the pears.
    See the post above for a guide to making a cartouche!
  • Simmer the pears gently (but don't boil!) until they're cooked through. This will take around 20-45 minutes, depending on the size & ripeness of your pears.
    Use a skewer to check if the pears are cooked. They'll feel soft when they're ready.
  • Once cooked, take the pears out of the wine & let both components cool.
  • Place the pears & wine into a container (together) then refrigerate overnight before serving.
    This gives the pears the best flavour & colour. If you'd like to make a syrup with the wine, to serve with the pears, see the instruction below.

Mulled Wine Syrup

  • Take the pears out of the wine & set aside then pass the wine into a saucepan, through a sieve.
  • Add the sugar into the wine then set the pan over a high heat. Bring to the boil then cook the wine for 5-10 minutes, until it has reduced into a thickened sauce.
  • Let the wine cool then drizzle over the pears, to serve.

Notes

1. To Cook On An Aga - Use the simmering plate to make the mulled wine. Once you've added the pears, bring the wine to a simmer then transfer to the simmering oven. The pears will take around 1-1½ hours to cook.
2. Pears - I used Conference pears when I made this recipe but Bosc or Anjou also work well. The pears should be slightly under ripe otherwise they'll be too soft once they are cooked.
3. Red Wine - I used a Cabernet Sauvignon for poaching my pears but some other good options would be a Zinfandel, Shiraz or Merlot.
4. Storage - Poached pears should be stored in the fridge & are best eaten within 3 days.