Poached pears

Pears poached in red wine with cinnamon, cloves, juniper berries and star anise. Lemon and orange peel add a fresh aroma to the spiced poaching liquid. Delicious with game, braised meat or a winter meal.

Serves: 4 people
Preparation: approximately 20 minutes
Cooking: approximately 2–4 hours, depending on the size and ripeness of the pears
Making ahead: allow additional time for cooling and, if desired, an overnight rest in the fridge; reheating takes approximately 15–20 minutes.
Total time: approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes to 4 hours and 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 cooking pears, preferably Gieser Wildeman, weighing approximately 750–900 g in total before peeling
• 500 ml red wine
• water, enough to just cover the pears if needed
• 50 g brown sugar
• 2 small cinnamon sticks
• 3 cloves
• 3 juniper berries
• 1 star anise
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ untreated lemon
• ½ untreated orange

Preparation

1. Peel the pears
   Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler, leaving the stalks intact. If necessary, cut a thin slice from the base so they can stand upright. Otherwise, leave the pears whole.
2. Prepare the citrus fruit
   Wash the lemon and orange. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the coloured peel from both fruit halves. Avoid the white pith; the flesh is not used.
3. Get the spices ready
   Lightly crush the juniper berries. Have the remaining spices, sugar and wine ready. Choose a saucepan in which the pears fit snugly side by side.

Method

1. Fill the saucepan
   Stand or lay the pears in the saucepan. Add the wine, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, juniper berries, star anise, bay leaf and citrus peel. If necessary, top up with water until the pears are just covered; the stalks may protrude above the liquid.
2. Heat the poaching liquid
   Slowly bring to just below boiling point. Then turn the heat down so the liquid is barely bubbling and cover the saucepan with a lid.
3. Poach the pears until tender
   Leave the pears to poach gently for approximately 2–4 hours. Start checking after 2 hours with a thin-bladed knife: it should slide easily into the flesh. Allow firmer pears to cook for longer if necessary. Check the liquid occasionally and add a little hot water if the pears are no longer covered. Turn them carefully if they are not surrounded by liquid on all sides.
4. Remove the aromatics
   Carefully lift the cooked pears out of the saucepan. Strain the poaching liquid and discard the spices and citrus peel. Return the pears to the strained liquid.
5. Serve the pears
   Serve the pears warm with a small amount of poaching liquid, or leave them to cool for the following day according to the instructions below.

Making ahead and storing

Divide the pears and poaching liquid between shallow, heatproof storage containers. Cool quickly, for example by placing the containers in cold water. Cover and refrigerate at 4 °C within 2 hours. If desired, leave them in the liquid overnight and use within 2 days.

Reheat only the portion you need in the poaching liquid. Keep the liquid just below boiling point and heat for approximately 15–20 minutes, until the pears are piping hot all the way through.