Poached pears with porto wine and spices.
Being a Dutch girl in Paris I sometimes (well, most of the time) feel like an alien. When I walk down my street or go to le supermarché, I can’t help but wonder if they can see I’m not one of ‘theirs’. Which is a bit silly when you consider the percentage of foreigners living here. Plus the fact that no one really cares where I’m from, as long as I don’t get in their way! Because for a to me yet unknown reason, people in Paris seem to be way more time pressed than in the rest of France or the Netherlands. 
I must have been influenced by the Parisian way of doing things, though. And more specific in the way I dress. I didn’t really notice this myself, but my Dutch colleagues told me they wondered where all my colourful outfits had gone. And I have to admit it, I have more and more black in my wardrobe. In avoidance of being labeled as étrangère immediately, I seem to have toned down the amount of bright colours I bring to the streets.
And even worse, a few weeks ago I caught myself thinking “well, she’s definitely not from Paris!” when I saw a woman wearing a fantastic green dress with matching green boots. A clear sign that it’s time to start re-introducing colour, to brighten up my life and the streets of Paris.
Starting with these fantastic red pears, poached in red Porto wine and spices, to make them sweet and spicy at the same time. Great as a side dish, or as a dessert!
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Port Wine Poached Pears
- Yield: 0 Serves 4 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cooking pears
- 250 ml red port
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp gingerpowder
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 4 cardamom cloves
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar or 1 vanilla pod (sliced open)
Instructions
- Peel the pears but leave the stalk (just because it looks pretty, don’t eat it) and slice off the bottom of the pear so it stays up straight in the pan
- Put all the other ingredients together in a pan (choose a pan that’s wide enough for all 4 pears), stir well and turn on the heat.
- Place the pears in the pan and let simmer on low heat for about two hours until they are soft and the sauce is reduced. Turn once in a while to get an even colour.
- Serve hot or cold (I personally prefer them hot) with the sauce.
- Bon appétit!
- Category: Dessert
Hi Eva
can i jar the port poached pears to eat later or give to friends.
regards John