Poached Pears in White Wine

Poached fruit is a mainstay on nearly every French restaurant’s menu. Easy to make and absolutely delicious, this special dessert is healthy and low fat, so anyone can order it. Try this recipe for poached pears in white wine at home and you’ll be adding it to your kitchen repertoire, too. Serve it with a bit of crème patisserie or almond glace for richer treat – the cream perfectly accents the spiced wine syrup and sweetness of the pears.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sweet white wine
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean (substitute 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 4 pears, peeled with stems left intact
• 2 cups granulated sugar

Preparation:

Stir together the white wine, water, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat and add the prepared pears. Poach the pears, uncovered, for 7 to 9 minutes, until they turn tender, but not mushy.

Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the pears onto a serving plate. Return the poaching liquid to a simmer, add the sugar, and allow the mixture to reduce by half in volume, about 6 to 8 minutes. The syrup is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean from the syrup.

Arrange the pears on individual serving plates and drizzle with the wine syrup.

This poached pears in white wine recipe makes 4 servings.