Juicy, sweet pears gently poached in red wine and warm spices make for an impressive and delectable dessert!
The Autumn feast featured in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a celebration of sweet treats and savoury meats. Some of the only produce mentioned are “delectable dishes of preserved plums, and peaches, and pears, and quinces”. Undoubtedly the preserved fruits served at the Van Tassel feast would have been preserved in a manner similar to our canned fruit – cooked in a sugar syrup and sealed in glass jars. While it would certainly be easy to open cans of fruit for your feast, it also isn’t very interesting. These spiced wine poached pears are a fun and delicious way to add fresh fruit to your Sleepy Hollow Feast!
Ingredient Notes
Pears: When it comes to poaching pears it’s a good idea to select a firmer type of pear that will hold up to the long, slow cooking process. Bosc or Anjou are two good choices for poaching. Bartlett’s, while widely available, are a bit softer and may fall apart sooner in the poaching liquid. That being said, you certainly can use Bartlett’s if you choose. Keep an eye on them and take them out as soon as they’re soft.
Red wine: Pears can be poached in any kind of wine but I love the dark jewel-toned colour from poached pears in red wine. Choose a medium bodied wine such as Merlot or even Syrah. A lighter red wine may not colour the pears as dark. Don’t bother using an expensive bottle here, with all the added flavours it would be wasted.
Vanilla bean: A fresh vanilla bean adds amazing flavour to the wine syrup, there really is no comparison when it comes to extract.
Cinnamon stick: Cinnamon gives just a hint of warm spice flavour that compliments the wine and vanilla.
How to Make Spiced Wine Poached Pears
Prep the pears
Begin by peeling the pears. Leave the stems intact if you can. The main question is whether or not to core the pears. Coring the pears now will make eating them later easier. However, it can destabilize the structure of the pears and they could collapse after cooking. So, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, it makes sense to leave the core in and cut around it later while eating.
If coring the pear, slice the bottom of the pear off. Use a melon baller or paring knife to scoop out the core. Be careful not to puncture the sides of the pear or scoop out too much.
If not coring the pear, slice off the very bottom of the pear so that they stand up straight.
Make the poaching liquid
Pour the wine into a deep saucepan wide enough to hold all the pears lying down. Add the sugar, cinnamon stick, and orange rind. Use a paring knife to slice the vanilla bean open and add to the wine.
Bring the wine to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the pears into the simmering liquid, laying them on their sides. If desired, cut out a piece of parchment paper to fit on top of the pears. This helps to prevent evaporation of the wine and keeps the pears from drying out on top. Otherwise keep the lid on while poaching.
Poach the pears
Simmer the pears for 20 to 30 minutes. Turn the pears over every five minutes so that they colour evenly. The pears are done when a paring knife easily pierces the flesh.
Reduce the poaching liquid
When the pears are cooked, remove them from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon. Set aside. Bring the poaching liquid up to a boil. Continue to boil, uncovered, until it reduces down to a syrup. This should take 10 to 15 minutes.
Reduce the liquid down to one cup – it should be slightly syrupy in consistency. The syrup will thicken even more once it cools. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, and orange rind. Let cool.
Serve the Spiced Wine Poached Pears
These fall preserves make a fabulous dessert and are especially good served with a scoop of ice cream. They can be served warm or cold depending on preference. Drizzle with a generous amount of the spiced wine syrup and enjoy!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Feast
Check out The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The Feast master post for more Sleepy Hollow inspired recipes in this series.
Pies –
Toffee Apple Pie with Vanilla Custard, Pumpkin Cheese Pie with Gingersnap Crust
Donuts –
Hot Buttered Rum Glazed Crullers, Peach Crisp Donuts
Cakes –
Gingerbread Stout Bundt, Spiced Mead Honey Cake
Preserves –
Savoury –
Cider Brined Roast Chicken, Spiced Cherry and Port Glazed Ham, Cheesy Orzo Kale Stuffed Pumpkins
Cocktails –
Katrina Van Tassel’s Spiced Apricot Cocktail, The Headless Horseman Burnt Honey Old Fashioned, Gunpowder Fig and Rosemary Cocktail
