A simple and classic yet elegant dessert, which lends itself perfectly for the festive season!
Dressed to impress, these Mulled Wine Poached Pears are gently simmered in a delicious blend of mulled wine, warming spices and citrus, allowing the pears to soak up all those beautiful Christmas flavours. The result is a beautifully tender, aromatic dessert that looks impressive but is surprisingly easy to make. Naturally vegan and gluten-free, they make the perfect sweet ending to any Sunday or festive meal!
2 pears ripe but firm, peeled from the skin but leaving the stem attached
500ml Mulled Wine (if you don't have this, opt for your favourite red wine, ideally fruity, e.g. Merlot)
orange peel from 1 orange
10 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise (for the spices above, you can add 1 per person which will be used for garnish, optional)
couple tsps of brown sugar
100ml orange juice (you can also choose pomegranate or cherry juice for their red colour)
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup mixed berries (frozen work just as fine)
Garnish: mint or basil leaves plant based whipped cream (my favourite is Alpro Whipping)
Instructions
For the poaching process:
Choose a stainless steel pot, ideally a saucepan which is tall and narrow so that the pears can stand up and remain in an upright position.
Pour all the ingredients into the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring continuously to dissolve the sugar. As soon as the liquid reaches boiling point, reduce the heat to low and place the peeled pears sitting upright. If you have difficulty flatten the bottom of the pears by cutting the bottom part.
Poach the pears in the liquid for about 30 to 40 minutes. If the liquid does not cover the top part of the pears make sure to place them on their side or spoon the liquid over them from time to time to ensure a consistent red colour from top to bottom. Use a skewer to check if the pears are cooked through but still firm.
Gently remove the pears from the liquid and transfer them onto a clean plate to cool down.
To make the wine syrup:
While the pears are cooling, strain the poaching liquid into a jug to remove the berries, orange peel and spices. Set the strained ingredients aside.
Transfer the red liquid back in the saucepan and heat gently until it reaches boiling point.
At this stage I recommend you lower the heat slightly so that the liquid can bubble away until it reduces to a glossy thin syrup. Keep in mind that while it cools down the syrup will thicken.
Serving:
Place each pear on a serving plate. Gently pour syrup over each pear so that they turn glossy and the sauce rests on the plate.
Garnish the top part of each fruit with mint or basil to mimic the pear's leaf, add dollops of whipped cream by the sauce's side and decorate with the strained berries, cinnamon sticks and star anise if you like.
Enjoy this stunning and deeply flavourful dessert!
Alison has a passion for vegan cooking and loves sharing this enthusiasm with others. She believes food can be simple to prepare and delicious to eat. Whilst being a vegetarian most of her life she has now transitioned to a vegan lifestyle after becoming more aware about the negative impact of the dairy and egg industry on our health, the environment and the animals themselves.
