Lightly adapted from THIS Epicurious recipe.
- 1 bottle of red wine (I used an American Cabernet Sauvignon)
- Juice of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup white sugar*
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise
- 4 pears, firm but ripe
- Dark chocolate to drizzle, optional
- Vanilla ice cream, optional
In a medium large to large sauce pot, combine wine, orange juice, zest, sugar, and spices. Stir well and bring to simmer. Gently place pears in simmering liquid, and simmer till tender, about 20 minutes. Remove pears to a separate dish and continue simmering down the liquid (aim for a vigorous simmer) till reduced to about 3 cups. (The original recipe says this will take an additional 20 minutes after removing the pears, but my liquid simmered down more slowly, so play it by ear–or taste!)
Once liquid is reduced, place pears back in liquid and let cool. To serve, warm pears in the poaching liquid. Place one pear in a bowl, ladle a half cup of liquid around it, and drizzle with melted dark chocolate if desired. The original recipe called for ice cream, and had I remembered to buy it, I definitely would have used it! Just add a scoop of ice cream and serve before it melts! Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint, or cinnamon stick, or star anise.
*The original recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups sugar, but this was waaay to sweet for my taste. However, if your pears are less sweet, or you prefer very sweet desserts, feel free to use the original quantity!