These cranberry and red wine poached pears are a stunning dessert that gives you the feeling of decadence. The pears are peeled and poached in cranberries, red wine and brown sugar. The cinnamon and cloves give a nice holiday flavor to this stunning dessert. The best part? You can make it days ahead and serve it warm or chilled, making it your secret weapon for effortless entertaining that never fails to wow guests.
Have you ever wanted a dessert that looks like it took ages to make but took very little effort? These poached pears are the perfect solution. Just peel the pears, reduce the poaching liquid, and pour the liquid over the pears in a Dutch oven and bake. That’s it! Additionally, these can be eaten by themselves providing a very light dessert or you can slice them in half or quarters and serve on a pastry or a light cake. They can be served warm or cold, but my favorite is slightly cooled with some ice cream. The best part is you can make these ahead of time making them great for entertaining.
Table of Contents
Some key ingredients
These are ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen, plus a few fall staples that are easy to find at any grocery store or corner market.
Red wine: Rule of thumb with cooking with wine, make sure you like to drink it. As the wine reduces down the flavors intensify, so if you don’t like it, don’t cook with it.
Pears: Bosc or Anjou pears are perfect because they hold their shape during poaching. If you give them a gentle squeeze they should give just a little bit and smell like pears.
Cranberries: The tartness of the cranberries will balance the sugar in the poaching liquid. Fresh or frozen work here but do not use craisins.
Lemon: The zest will add a little brightness to the poaching liquid and help accentuate the other flavors.
Getting your poaching liquid right
In order to get the most intense flavors possible for these pears it is important to let the poaching liquid reduce before adding it to the pears. The poaching liquid might not cover the whole pear and that is ok. Occasionally baste the pears with the poaching liquid. Once the pears are cooked do not waste this liquid. You will want to bring it to a boil and let it reduce further. This makes for a perfect way to serve the pears. The cranberries can also be used served like I have photographed, or you can puree them and mix them into whipped cream or creme fraiche.
Choosing the right wine
There are a few good wine choices for making poached pears. One of the most important things to remember first is to always use wine that you would enjoy before cooking with it.
Cabernet Sauvignon: It has a low sugar content and is easily accessible. It is a great all-around and go-to wine for cooking and baking.
Pinot Noir: This is a lighter red wine so it will not overpower the cranberries and other flavors in the poaching liquid. It is a great wine for pears.
Zinfandel: These wines can be fruity or jammy which is a great compliment to the pears and cranberries. It can also have richer and unique flavors like tobacco which will give the pears and incredible depth of flavor.
Merlot: This tends to be a fruit forward wine which compliments this recipe well. Like a cabernet it is easily accessible. This wine is great for reducing, which is what we will be doing in this recipe.
Using whole spices
Whole spices are perfect for this recipe. The cinnamon and cloves create a warming feeling that gives the feeling of fall and the holidays. They are also included in mulling spices and mulled wine which ties this dessert well for not only the fall but throughout the holiday season.
Pro tip: gently crush the sides of the cinnamon stick and cloves with the back of a knife to let them release more of their flavors.
How do I minimize my active cooking time?
There is only about 10 minutes of active time if you can get your order of operations right. I like to start with the poaching liquid. This needs about 10 minutes to reduce so add all the poaching liquid ingredients into a pot and turn it on medium-high to start boiling. While the poaching liquid is boiling away this is when you peel all the pears. By the time you are done with the pears the liquid should be about done. A timer is a good idea here if you are concerned about it reducing too much.
Pro tip: Use a potato peeler to remove the skin from your pears. It’s much faster than a knife and doesn’t remove as much of the pear as a knife.
Building the perfect fall menu
This dessert is perfectly positioned for richer meals like Braised Short Ribs with Red Wine or Irish Beef Stew. If you are planning on throwing a dinner party or want to make a full meal the Pear Salad with Walnuts and Gorgonzola or Potato Leek Soup are great opening dish. Braised Short Ribs with Red Wine and Shepherd’s Pie make a great main course. With Garlic and Herb Roasted Mashed Potatoes and Bourbon and Maple Glazed Carrots as perfect side dishes.
These dishes have the complexity that when finished with these poached pears will leave everyone at the table satisfied and rubbing their bellies in contentment.
Pair it with a tasty beverage
Since you’re already using red wine in the dish, a glass of the same wine you cooked will always pair beautifully. However, you can change it up with a Port or late-harvest dessert wine.
For a cocktail, mix up a Cranberry Bourbon Smash: muddle a few fresh cranberries with a splash of simple syrup, add 2 oz bourbon, a squeeze of lemon, and top with some club soda. The cranberry ties into your dessert beautifully. To make it extra special, use the cranberries from the poaching liquid for a nice tie-in.
For beer lovers, a Belgian dubbel or quad complements the poached pears wonderfully.
Non-alcoholic option: Make a spiced cranberry sparkling cider by simmering cranberry juice with the same spices you used for the pears, then mixing with sparkling apple cider.
Looking for other pear recipes?
Cranberry and Red Wine Poached Pears
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Dutch oven
- Potato peeler
Ingredients
- 8 Bosc pears
- 2 cups cranberries fresh or frozen
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 whole cloves
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- In a saucepan add the sugars, wine, water, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, cranberries and cloves. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid to 4 cups about 10 minutes.2 cups cranberries, 2 cups red wine, 2 cups water, 1 cinnamon stick, 6 whole cloves, ⅔ cup brown sugar, ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- While the poaching liquid is reducing, using a sharp knife or potato peeler remove the skin of the pears as thinly as possible. Slice off a small amount of bottom of the pear just so it stands up when set in the Dutch oven.
- In the Dutch oven add all of the pears and then pour the poaching liquid over the pears. The liquid may not cover the pears and that is ok.
- Over medium-high heat bring the poaching liquid back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 30 minutes basting halfway through. A knife should pass through easily.8 Bosc pears
- Strain the poaching liquid. This can be reduced to a thicker sauce to become a glaze or can be served with the pear as is.
Nutrition
Wow, this recipe sounds fancy! I have made pears with other flavors, but have not tried cranberries before. I bet these two flavors mix well together!
Wow! This dessert looks incredibly delicious! The presentation makes this dessert makes enticing and very mesmerizing! Totally love this!