“The great white Pear tree
Dropped with dew
From leaves and blossom
Under the heavens
Of happy blue.”-Jean Ingelow
The voluptuous and succulent pear. It’s that time of year when these curvy fruits begin to fill up baskets and bins at the local farm markets. Although their juicy sweetness is perfect as-is, something truly delicious happens when these plump beauties are simmered in Bordeaux, scented with autumnal spices and warm vanilla, then left to chill overnight.To make Chilled Pears Bordelaise you’ll need a bottle of Bordeaux, a little more than a cup of sugar and seasonal spices for essence. I used cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla and bay leaves. The aroma of these simmering pears will fill your home with the comforting notes of fall. It’s aromatherapy and dessert! How ’bout those apples, er, pears?
As the wine simmers it will reduce to a purplish ink-colored syrup, slightly sweet and silky. The pears will absorb the flavors of the reduction taking on the most gorgeous jewel tones of garnet and ruby.
The prep time couldn’t be simpler, in fact the most time-consuming part will be waiting for them to chill. Trust me though, it’ll be well worth the wait.
Be sure to serve the pears with a generous amount of the reduced wine, which also goes gorgeously on top of ice cream too.
This is an easy and elegant dessert to wow your guests or to simply treat yourself. Chilled Pears Bordelaise is the perfect dessert for the upcoming holidays as you’ll be able to prepare them a day or two in advance – yet another reason to love them!
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Equipment
- French or Dutch Oven or a pot large enough to keep the pears upright and covered in wine
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of Bordeaux yielding a little more than 3 cups
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and reserving the pod substitute with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 6 to 8 large pears, peeled, stems intact Ex: Anjou or Bosc
Instructions
- In a large oval pot or Dutch oven over low-medium heat, add the wine, sugar, vanilla bean and pod, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and bay leaves. Bring to a low boil. Stir to combine well and until the sugar has completely dissolved. You’ll know the sugar has properly dissolved when you no longer feel the grainy bits on the bottom of the pan when stirring.
- Slowly lower in the pears, taking care to keep them upright and covered in wine. Cover the saucepan and simmer, turning the pears occasionally so they cook evenly, about 30 minutes, or until tender all the way through. Note: The cooking time will entirely depend on the ripeness of the pears.
- Allow the pears to cool. Chill overnight (or up to two days) in the refrigerator. Turning them once or twice if leaving them longer than 24 hours, or one side will absorb more syrup and color than the other.
- To serve, place each pear into a shallow bowl, being sure to spoon a generous amount of syrup over them. Enjoy!
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