Red Wine Pears Recipe (2024)

I live in the country's greatest pear growing region, Oregon's Hood River Valley, so I make these frequently, but with a few amendments/variations. I often add strips or orange or lemon zest, whole allspice berries, a few tablespoons of brandy, or use late harvest Gewurztraminer instead of red wine. For a more savory dessert, serve with a wedge of blue cheese instead of the creme fraiche.

If you use a melon baller to take out the the core (go in from the bottom) it makes it easier to eat and the syrup flavours the pear from the inside and outside.

I make a variation on this with ground cardamom and orange peel instead of the cloves and peppercorn, using a mix of sugar / honey / orange juice as my sweetener. I have served it with crème fraîche, or ice cream, or mascarpone cheese. This is one of my go to holiday desserts

Bosc pairs work. Regardless of the type, I slice the pear in half and scoop out the core with a melon ball scoop. This is an awesome dessert btw.

I made this today so haven’t tasted it yet because it is sitting overnight. After also looking at my old Time Life French cookbook, I cut the pears in half and cored them before putting them in the wine spice brew and added vanilla.

I have made these pears for many years. I core them before cooking, and, before serving, slice them into fans, and serve on top of an almond-scented and -flavored custard (frangipane), chilled, with a drizzle of red currant sauce (jam, heated and thinned a bit with some brandy), OR I make a plain vanilla custard and drizzle the pears with dark chocolate sauce.

Poaching pears in wine syrups is one of autumn's pleasures. Red wine is lovely, but so is a white wine syrup with a vanilla bean in which pears and slices of quinces simmer, the quince turning the syrup a beautiful coral color.

I served these to guests last night; so easy and utterly delicious! I'll definitely be making them again.

A friend and I made a version of this a long time ago. He fixed Bosc pears in a red wine syrup and I made a pound cake. The combination, with a little whipped cream, was so delicious! The pound cake absorbed the syrup on the plate. One of my favorites. Can’t wait to try this version!

Any! I prefer them at room temperature, but chilled is refreshing (and helps dampen the sweetness, if they came out a bit sweeter than you'd prefer), and even warm is possible if you want mulled wine vibes.

The reason that there are so few notes to this recipe may be because there’s nothing to add. Really good and easy.

Learned the hard way to not reduce the sugar content in the syrup -- it's too runny without the full complement of sugar! And despite the refrigeration, these pears are best served warm

Does this make an actual simple syrup? It doesn’t seem like enough sugar.

I’ve made poached pears over the years, often with a vanilla bean, some lemon peel, or some creme de cassis among the ingredients. When I chose this recipe I feared it might be too plain but it’s absolutely delicious! I wouldn’t change a thing. The syrup is quite sweet so creme fraiche goes very nicely along side the pears. Such a lovely dessert.

Halve pears (lengthwise) to poach.

These are just wonderful and super easy to prepare. I made a couple of slight changes. I cored the pears slightly (with a 1/4 teaspoon) and added a strip of orange zest. I found that the pomegranate seeds were unnecessary. I garnished mine with a bit of good quality dried and sweetened orange slices and dollop of plain yogurt. I forgot the ice cream. I didn't miss it at all.

Beaujolais was perfect with Bosc pears, orange peels -then finish with vanilla ice cream and the wine reduction syrup - definitely a hit!

I had an excess of small pears and decided to try this recipe. I made this almost as written. We only drink wine on Friday nights so I had what was left of the bottle, and used that with a little water. Pears were very small so I used 7. They were actually very ripe, so I was worried they'd fall apart, but they held up well. Anyway I did the recipe otherwise as written (so minor changes only). The red wine sauce is truly delicious, and my whole family enjoyed this with vanilla ice cream.

Core the pears from the bottom; it makes for much easier eating & less waste. Coring will reduce cook time; monitor doneness accordingly.After reducing the syrup volume, pour the liquid through a sieve to remove the peppercorns & whole cloves. They often embed in the pear flesh and are unpleasant to bite down on. I’d hate for that to happen to a guest, ruining their delight in eating these gems! I then add some ground cloves & black pepper to the liquid, pour over the pears.

The reason that there are so few notes to this recipe may be because there’s nothing to add. Really good and easy.

Help me with the math. A bottle of wine is 3 cups. To get 2 1/2 cups of syrup after reduction means that you would have to have 5 cups of wind after any loss due to poaching.What have other cooks done?

Any thoughts about using Asian pears?Thanks!

Poaching pears in wine syrups is one of autumn's pleasures. Red wine is lovely, but so is a white wine syrup with a vanilla bean in which pears and slices of quinces simmer, the quince turning the syrup a beautiful coral color.

What temperature are these best served at?

I sometimes take this in a different direction using a sweet white wine, lots of strips of lemon peel, and about an inch-long knob of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks. Leave the pepper but pull the cinnamon and cloves. I will core the pears from underneath with a melon baller, or if I'm lazy, just peel, quarter and core them.

Love the gewurztraminer suggestion!