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Four wine poached pears in a shallow white baking dish.
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5 / 3 votes

Wine Poached Pears

These wine poached pears are an easy, elegant dessert made by gently cooking peeled pears in white wine and then drizzling them with a creamy butterscotch sauce.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 475

Equipment

  • 5-quart or larger slow cooker

Ingredients

For the wine poached pears

  • Mild vegetable oil
  • 6 medium pears, preferably Bosc
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups cold water

For the butterscotch sauce (optional)

  • 6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the wine poached pears

  • Slick a large (5-quart or larger) slow cooker with vegetable oil.
  • Peel the pears, leaving the stem intact. Stand the pears upright in the slow cooker. Brush the pears with the lemon juice. Sprinkle the pears with the sugar. Pour in the wine, vanilla, and water.
  • Cover the slow cooker and cook on low until the pears are tender but not mushy when pricked with a fork or pierced with a paring knife, 3 to 4 hours.

Make the butterscotch sauce (optional)

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute, or until bubbling. Stir in the cream and cook, still stirring continuously, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until bubbling again.
  • Stir in the vanilla, remove from the heat, and let it rest, without stirring, until the sauce thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.

To assemble

  • Use a slotted spoon to lift each pear out of the poaching liquid and place it onto a serving plate. Drizzle the pears with the butterscotch sauce, if desired. Serve warm.

Notes

  1. Storage--The cooked pears can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Do not freeze.
  2. Pears--Choose just-ripe or slightly underripe pears for this recipe. Overripe fruit will break down too much.
  3. Dietary--This recipe is suitable for gluten-free and vegetarian diets. If served without the butterscotch sauce, it is also vegan and dairy-free.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (with sauce) | Calories: 475kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 24mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 62g