I originally made these poached pears after ringing in the new year and noticing we somehow had a pretty decent amount of sparkling rosé left in the fridge, about half a bottle. And, knowing me, I just didn’t want to waste it, but I certainly wasn’t drinking the flat, slightly sweet, leftover sparkling wine. Luckily Ry had brought home close to a dozen itty bitty little Seckel pears. They were originally meant as an addition the the massive cheese and charcuterie display he put together, but we had plenty left over so I decided we should try making some poached pears.
Poached pears are a notoriously simple dessert to make, and I’m not quite sure why I never made them for Ry before, he LOVES pears. And this version was definitely simple and pretty delish. There isn’t any special equipment needed, no fancy skills to master, you’re just slowly cooking some pears in a sweet liquid, here it was rosé but you could easily use any wine you have or even make a simple syrup to poach them in.
They were originally meant as an addition the the massive cheese and charcuterie display he put together, but we had plenty left over so I decided we should try making some poached pears.
Rosé Poached Pears with Cream and Pistachios
This easy recipe combines small Seckel pears with rosé wine, spices, and a touch of lemon for an elegant and effortless dessert. Everything gets topped with a flavorful syrup made by reducing the poaching liquid, and then a drizzle of heavy cream and some chopped pistachios for a little texture.
This whole recipe takes about 30 minutes and can easily be made ahead. Don’t have any extra rosé sitting around? No worries, you can swap the rosé in the poaching liquid out for whatever you like, white wine, cranberry juice or even some water with a little extra sugar and any spices you like. I included a bunch of substitutions for you below.
In This Post
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to make these poached pears
- Some Tips for The Perfect Pears
- FAQs
- How to Store your Rosé Pears
- Serving Ideas and Variations
Ingredients To Make Poached Pears in Rosé Wine
- Pears: This recipe calls for Seckel pears, which are small round pears that hold their shape and texture when poached, but you can really use any pears you like. Bartlett or Anjou are great options. Larger pears will take longer to cook so adjust the cooking time by 5 – 10 minutes.
- Rosé Wine: This is the base of our poaching liquid. The rosé is slightly fruity, and sweet. This was made with some leftover sparkling rosé, you can use any rose or other wine you like. I included some suggestions for non-wine poached pear variations are below.
- Cinnamon Stick: The classic warming spice goes so well with the pears. Use a cinnamon stick here so you can easily remove it when the pears are done cooking.
- Cardamom Pods: The subtle floral flavor of cardamom is wonderful here. I used green cardamom, but you could use black cardamom if you have it.
- Sugar: White granulated sugar is what you want. Helps to sweeten up the poaching liquid and make that delicious syrup when it reduces.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens up the dish, prevents the pears from browning and adds in some acidity to balance everything out. You can also use orange juice here as well.
- Heavy Cream: For a rich and creamy drizzle right before serving.
- Pistachios: Chopped roasted pistachios add some much needed texture right at the end, plus the contrasting green nuts look so nice with that bright pink syrup.
How to Poach Pears in Rosé
- Prepare The Poaching Liquid – Combine the rosé wine, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, lemon juice, and a small pinch of salt in a small pan. Bring to a boil.
- Peel the Pears – While the liquid heats, clean and peel your pears.
- Poach the Pears – Reduce the liquid to a simmer. Gently place the pears in the pan, ensuring they’re mostly submerged.
- Check for Doneness – Simmer for 10–15 minutes (add 5–10 minutes for larger pears) until a knife slides through easily.
- Make the Syrup – Remove the pears and boil the liquid to reduce it by two-thirds, creating a rich syrup.
- Serve – Slice pears, drizzle with syrup, and garnish with chopped pistachios and heavy cream.
Tips for Perfect Pears
- Even Poaching: Rotate pears occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. You want to make sure they are fully submerged as much as you can.
- Check Ripeness: Use ripe but firm pears for the best texture. Overripe pears may fall apart.
- Spices: Feel free to experiment with star anise, cloves, or vanilla. Use whatever combination of spices you like.
FAQs
What pears are best for poaching?
Seckel pears work beautifully for their size and flavor, but Bartlett or Anjou pears are great alternatives. You want to make sure your pears aren’t too ripe, they should still be slightly firm, otherwise they will turn to mush when you simmer them.
Can I make poached pears without wine?
Yes! Use water with sugar and spices for no-wine poached pears. Or swap in some fruit juice if you like. A dash of cranberry or pomegranate juice will give you that gorgeous color, but apple or pear juice works too.
How do I know when pears are done?
A paring knife should easily slide through the fruit with minimal resistance.
How to Store your Poached Pears
Store poached pears in an airtight container, submerged in their syrup, for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently or serve chilled.
Serving Ideas
Add to a Salad
Pair sliced poached pears with arugula, goat cheese, and walnuts. These are a fantastic addition to any salad.
Add to Your Cheese Board
Don’t worry about making the syrup and drizzling with cream, simply remove the pears from the poaching liquid, let cool and add to a cheese or charcuterie board. These are great to have on hand, stashed in the fridge to quickly throw together an appetizer board.
Poached Pears with Mascarpone
Serve with some whipped mascarpone instead of heavy cream. The added flavor and richness from the mascarpone is delicious with the pears.
Dark Chocolate Sauce
Drizzle melted dark chocolate mixed with a touch of heavy cream to create an insanely good chocolate sauce and pour over the pears for a decadent dessert.
Poaching Variations
Use Red Wine
Use red wine instead of rosé. If the wine is very dry, add 2–3 tablespoons of sugar to balance the flavors.
Champagne Poached Pears
Swap the rosé for champagne for a lighter version. This is a great way to use up any leftover flat champagne.
Spice Simple Syrup
Skip the wine and poach the pears in water with 1/2 cup of sugar. Add spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, then reduce the liquid into a delicious syrup. Serve with dark chocolate sauce or vanilla ice cream topped with warm syrup.
Fruit Juice Poached Pears
Use equal parts apple juice, cranberry juice, and water to poach the pears. This creates a beautifully rosy hue and a decadently sweet flavor.
Did you try this Poached Pear Recipe?
Leave a comment below with your thoughts or share your version on Instagram by tagging @TheMostHungry. I’d love to see how you made your poached pears!
Rosé Poached Pears
Ingredients
- 5 pears small pears, or 2-3 larger pears
- 2 C rosé
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- pinch salt
- 3 tbsp heavy cream to top
Instructions
- Add your sparkling wine, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, lemon juice and salt to a small pan and bring to a boil. Make sure to use a pan that will allow the liquid to just about cover the pears, you want them submerged while they poach. While the liquid is coming up to a boil you can go ahead and peel your pears.
- Once the liquid’s boiled, reduce the heat down to a simmer and gently add in your pears. Let them poach for 10 – 15 minutes or until tender. You can poke them with a small paring knife and it should easy slide in with minimal resistance. If your’re using larger pears add 5-10 minutes to the total cooking, just test to make sure they’re tender.
- Once your pears are done cooking carefully remove them and set aside while you reduce the poaching liquid to a syrup. Bring it up to a boil and let it reduce by about two thirds.
- To serve these I sliced them in half and scooped out the seeds and core, arranged them in a dish and topped with the syrup. Next I added some chopped pistachios and a generous drizzle of heavy cream. Ice cream would work really well here too. That’s it. Eat up!
Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a comment with your thoughts or share your version on Instagram by tagging @TheMostHungry. I’d love to see how you made it your own!
One thought on Rosé Poached Pears
What a decadent dessert. I am envisioning pairing with a cappuccino. Perfect!