Ingredients
4-6 firm Bosc pears, depending on size
1 bottle of red wine (750mL)
1/3 C Â sugar (2 Tbsp honey)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
1 tsp of cloves
Summary
A wonderful winter warmer. With these frosty nights, and hopefully rain on the way, it’s as good a time as any to simmer a pot of pears in spiced red wine and make the house smell divine. A dollop of cream or vanilla ice cream on the side is optional but heartily recommended.
Spiced pears in wine
Heat wine, sugar/honey and spices until sugar dissolves. Add pears – leave them whole or slice in half, peel or don’t peel… up to you. We added half a cup of water to help cover them as ours were quite large.
Simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until soft when kindly stabbed with a knife. Leave to cool, then serve – or carefully remove the soft pears and reduce the liquid further until it has thickened and become more syrupy.
Enjoy pears with spoonfuls of the ruby nectar, along with a dollop of cream, ice cream, yoghurt, baked honey ricotta etc!
* we didn’t have a slow cooker, but having consulted the internet we’d say poaching everything for 4-5 hours in your slow cooker (or 2 hours on high) is a great idea* and a high contender for a winter dinner party win. Simmer the remaining liquid in a pot on the stove to make a thicker syrup, or serve as is. *All slow cooker experts please add your advice in the comments, thank you!
