Winter Spiced Poached Pears might seem a bit old fashioned but it’s a real warming crowd pleaser. It’s never failed me and there’s something wonderfully comforting about it.
I can’t help but love the spice and wine smell that fills the house when you make too. It’s better than any candle you can burn!
And, it’s so easy to make, so if you want a festive pudding that’s a little less heavy this is the one.
Winter Spiced Poached Pear Recipe
At home I have a shelf full of cook books that I’ve refined and evolved into a real curated collection of books I actually use.
While the internet is wonderful there’s nothing quite like hunting for a recipe in a book. Personally, I find they also have notes and the chef’s recommendations that you miss from online recipes.
I also like to scribbles notes, so when I return to the recipe I know the changes or advice past Bex noted and thought would be useful to present Bex.
Like I said, this is a real crowd pleaser. My Mum thinks this is a bit naff but served up with some ice cream it goes down a treat. And, if you’ve already gone to the faff of cooking a full dinner for your pals, this pudding shows you’ve made effort but is actually really, really easy. Ssh, I won’t tell them if you don’t.
If you really want to add some va va voom, toast some hazelnuts to add on top along with a drizzle of toffee sauce in addition to the ice cream.
Ingredients
My recipe is based on the Leon one, with a few tweaks, less sugar more spice!
You’ll need…
- 6 x pears – firm but ripe
- 1 x bottle of red
- 150g of caster sugar
- 150ml of water
- Zest of 1 Orange
- A cinnamon stick
- 1 x Star Anise
- A pinch of cloves – about 5-10
Now you can make this with white wine but it’s really more for summer I feel. And, you miss out on the glorious colour change of the pears.
Recipe
- Pop all the ingredients except for the pears into a pan – don’t forget the pan needs to be large enough for six pears, or however many pears you’re making.
- Heat it slowly and stir to dissolve the sugar. It’s important you don’t do this too quickly.
- Peel your pears and put them into the pan carefully.
- Bring the liquid to a very slight simmer, tiny bubbles
- Cook until the pears become tender, which is about 20-30 mins. Poke with a skewer or sharp knife to check and don’t forget to serve yourself the pear that you skewered if you can see any holes! I use less wine, so throughout this time make sure you gently stir and rotate the pears so they all get an equal covering of wine.
- Once ready serve them up with some ice cream.
It is a little slice of Christmas and you can save the poaching liquid (first reduce it a little) and use as a sauce for future puddings over the festive period. It goes well over ice cream or as a drizzle on cake, or use it to slow cook some meat with! It’s very versatile and does not need to be wasted.
Enjoy Winter Spiced Poached Pears
I really hope you give this recipe for Winter Spiced Poached Pears a go. It’s a great recipe for seasoned pros or those of you who like me won’t be auditioning for next year’s Great British Bake Off.
Plus, when you eat the pears it gives you that warm Christmas festive feeling. It feels particularly fancy and indulgent on an evening at home, with cosy lights and a film on the tv.
If you want to add them to a sticky toffee pudding, you’d definitely earn extra brownie points. They’d go very, very well.
Let me know if you decide to give this a go!
If you liked this, you might like these posts too…
If you want to remember this for later, save it on Pinterest using the images below or share by using one of the buttons.
Sounds delicious 😋
Thanks! Funnily enough, they always go down well – even if my Mum jokes I’d have fitted in during the 70s 😂😂😂 They are delicious!