Easy poached pears recipe (without wine)

Poached pears are a perfect recipe for fall or Christmas dinner. As well as being delicious to use in recipes, poached pears are also delicious to eat just as they are. And with this simple poached pears recipe you can’t go wrong. It doesn’t contain wine so it’s suitable for everyone.

How to make the most delicious poached pears

Another recipe I can cross off my never-ending baking list is poached pears. I used to eat them regularly, but had never made them before. And yet it really is an incredibly simple recipe. Just peel them, place in a pan and wait.

I made a kilo and a half of poached pears and they were gone in a couple of days. I used most of them in new recipes and the rest in my yogurt for breakfast. It is delicious, let me tell you.

What goes into the poached pear recipe

Now it depends on where you live which kind of pears you can find. In the Netherlands we have Gieser Wildeman pears but in the states you would find bosc pears, bartlett pears or anjou pears. So just check what is available in your area and if in doubt ask what the best pears would be for poaching.

• poaching pears –  you use the whole pears. But make sure not to use overripe pears. They will fall apart in the liquid. You want them to be just ripe.
• cinnamon sticks
• star anise
• cloves
• cranberry juice – any red fruit juice would work here. I’ve used cherry juice, red berry juice or any other red colored fruit juice. I sometimes also add a little bit of orange juice for flavor.
• sugar – I prefer to use white granulated sugar. You could go for brown sugar. That would change the flavor but is still delicious. In fact you don’t really need any added sugar as there is already some in the juice. But I like adding just a tiny bit for the best flavor and some extra sweetness.
• lemon juice or lemon peel – can be replaced by orange peel if you want.

As mentioned this recipe does not use wine, but you could replace part or all of the wine for a splash of white wine or red wine.

For additional flavors you could add a vanilla bean or some vanilla extract.

Cooking poached pears

For giving poached pears that traditional pretty red color it’s customary to use red wine, cranberry juice or port but this is not even really necessary. If you cook the pears long enough (3-4 hours) they will turn a nice red color all on their own. That does depend on the kind of pear.

For making this easy poached pears recipe you need a large saucepan or a big soup pot. You peel all the pears but keep them whole. You can also use pear halves if you prefer but I love the look of the whole pear which makes for quite an elegant dessert.

Place all the peeled pears with the stalk facing upwards and the bottom of the pear facing down and make sure they are all covered in the liquid. You want them to cook evenly so it’s important to have enough liquid in the pan.  If necessary add a few cups water so they are submerged.

Now add sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves and place the pan on medium heat. Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 2 hours. Make sure to cover the pan as you don’t want all the liquid to evaporate. Check the level from time to time.

Stewed pear recipe without wine

I decided to make my poached pears without wine, using only the juice of the berries. I cooked them a little longer than I usually do with juice to give them a nice red colour. As a result, my poached pears are beautifully red on the inside rather than just on the outside. And that’s what you want so they can really shine at your dinner party. Serving the poached pears is delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for instance but I also love serving it with some flavored and sweetened creme fraîche or mascarpone.

Or check some of the other recipes with poached pears I will soon be sharing. In the meantime you can check all my fall recipes or all my christmas recipes.