Pears Poached In Red Wine

I do so love poached pears!  This recipe takes me straight back to lazy summer holidays in the Dordogne, where I was allowed to cook for my grandparents.  There were pluses - great food in the markets, a Cordon Bleu cookbook and an appreciative audience.  There were minuses - no weighing scales, hardly any equipment and the kind of phrase book that asked the chambermaid to bring more candles.....  But, for me, the food has never tasted better -  I used to slave away in the kitchen and carry it outside where we would eat under the walnut trees, with the sounds of cicadas and the gentle hum of mosquitoes.

Poires au Vin Rouge

Poires au Vin Rouge

5-6 small ripe pears

¼ pint/100ml water

¼ pint/100ml claret or burgundy (anything red will do)

5oz/150g sugar

1 strip of lemon rind

1 stick of cinnamon (“cannelle” in French!)

1 tsp arrowroot or cornflour

1oz/30g flaked almonds, toasted

Put the sugar, water, wine, cinnamon and lemon peel into a pan wide enough to take the pears side by side.   Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil for a minute.  Peel and halve the pears, removing the cores (the original recipe said to leave them whole).  As you prepare each pear, drop it straight into the simmering syrup.

Cover the pan with a circle of greaseproof paper and put the lid on top.  Simmer away gently until the pears are tender, approximately 20-30min, spooning the syrup over them every now and then.

Once the pears are cooked, lift them out of the pan using a slotted spoon and arrange them in a single layer, cut side down, in a serving dish.   If the syrup is quite thick, pour over the top.   Alternatively, you can reduce the syrup by boiling it for longer – you should aim for about ½ pint/210ml.   Mix the arrowroot/cornflour with a little water, then add it to the syrup and bring it to the boil, stirring.  Cook until it is clear (it doesn’t tend to clear with cornflour).  Pour the sauce over the pears and scatter the almonds on top - I added some orange zest. Serve chilled with lashings of fresh cream (and the French soured cream was a horrible surprise!).