Spanish cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Pears in Red Wine

Whole pears poached soft in red wine with cinnamon and orange zest, served glossy in the reduced syrup.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 4 firm pears
• 750 ml red wine
• 200 g sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 cloves
• 1 organic orange
• 1 organic lemon (zest)
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Peel the pears, leaving the stem on, and cut the base flat so they can later stand upright.
2. Bring the red wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, the thinly peeled orange and lemon zest, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a narrow pot, dissolving the sugar completely.
3. Stand the pears upright in the liquid – they should be almost covered – and poach covered over low heat for 30–35 min., turning twice so they color a deep red evenly.
4. The pears are done when a knife slides in without resistance to the core; lift them out carefully and set aside.
5. Strain the liquid through a sieve and reduce uncovered for 15–20 min. to about a third, until it clings syrupy to the ladle.
6. Arrange the pears upright in deep plates, pour the warm syrup over them and serve lukewarm or well chilled.