Poached Pears in Red Wine
By Arthur Potts Dawson
Published on 04 January 2023
This stunning dessert will wow your dinner guests but is secretly a bit of a doddle to make – exclusive recipe for Ocado by Arthur Potts Dawson.Time and servings
1 hrTotal time
4Servings
1 hrCooking time
Ingredients
- 100 g of mascovado sugar
- 4 pears
- 3 tbsp of runny honey
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp of black peppercorns
- 1 bottle of red wine
- 12 small amaretti biscuits
- 100 g of ice cream, to serve
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise
Method
Step 1
Begin by peeling the pears. Remove the core but leave the stalk on. Now run the back edge of the peeler over the ridge marks on the peeled pear to make them disappear. Place the pears in a pan and pour in the red wine until they just bob in the liquid. If you don't have enough wine to fill to the right level, just top up with water.Step 2
Add the cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, black pepper corns, mascovado sugar and honey, then cover with a circle of cooking paper and put on a hot stove until the liquid boils. Then reduce the heat and simmer for a further 45 minutes.Step 3
Remove the pears from the pan and allow to cool a little. Now pour a little of the wine liquid into another pan and heat until the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup. Whilst that is reducing, it's time to cut the pears so they fan out and stay upright on the bowl. Cut about halfway up the pear and slice away from the stem to the base, turning the knife as you go, to leave a diagonal cut. Repeat about six times, then lift the pear and sit it on top of a small Amaretti biscuit.Step 4
Now crush another biscuit and sprinkle it onto the bowl. Add a scoop of ice cream, pour over the sauce and serve.