Poached pears are an elegant dessert that always impresses.

They’ve graced the tables of European nobles from Medieval times, when it was thought unsafe to eat raw fruit.

But there’s nothing difficult about preparing this classic treat. What’s more, they can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them.

Here’s how it’s done.

Beautiful Bosc Pears are thinly peeled, leaving their stems intact.

A melon baller makes quick work of hollowing out the core from the bottom.

Combine the stuffing ingredients in a small bowl, then fill the hollow core.

Then, you leave them alone to poach in sweetened red wine with vanilla and spices.

Once tender, they’re removed from the pot and allowed to cool while the poaching liquid is reduced to a thick syrup.

To serve, some of the syrup is spooned into dessert cups and a stuffed pear is seated in the center of each. 

I like serving these melt-in-your-mouth pistachio cookies on the side, to add something that’s a little crunchy to the soft dessert.

pears poached in red wine with warm spices

For the poached pears

We use whole spices so that they don’t make the syrup cloudy.

 Ingredients:

• 6 Bosc pears—try to choose pears that are symmetrical, sit up nicely, and have artful-looking stems

• 1 bottle red wine—cheap, but drinkable

• 2 cups sugar (you may want a little more if your wine is very dry)

• 3-4 inch piece of cinnamon stick

• 8 cardamom pods

• 1 star anise

• ¾ teaspoon black peppercorns

• 6 juniper berries

• 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)

For the stuffing:

• 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, raisins, or cherries, chopped

• 1 tablespoon pecans, walnuts, pistachios, or other nut of your choosing, chopped

• 1 teaspoon minced crystallized ginger

Combine all of the above in a small bowl and mash with a fork to blend.

Method:

• Use a vegetable peeler to thinly peel the pears. Take care not to damage the stems.

• Use a melon baller or a small paring knife to hollow out the core from the bottom, again being careful to protect the stems.

• Choose a pot in which the pears will fit in a single layer, on their sides.

• Combine the wine in the pot with the sugar and spices. Heat the mixture to a simmer and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Taste it with a spoon and add more sugar if you think it’s warranted.

• Filll the cavities of the pears with the stuffing.

• Add the pears to the pot, cover the pot, and simmer the pears for 20 minutes. Every now and again, use a wooden spoon to turn them so that all surfaces of the pears are ultimately submerged in the wine. Keep the pot at a simmer, but be careful that it doesn’t boil over.

• I say simmer for 20 minutes, but that’s an approximation. Just cook them until they’re done. You should be able to pierce them easily with a fork. You want them to be soft and tender so that you can cut into them with a spoon, but not so soft that they can’t be handled.

• When the pears are done, remove them from the pot and set them on a plate to cool. Gently pick out any whole spices that have stuck to them.

• Strain out the spices from the wine (the alcohol will all be cooked out by now) and return the wine to the pot. Bring it to a boil and reduce it to about half the volume. It will now be a thickish, sweet syrup.

• Stir in the vanilla.

• Set the poaced pears in individual serving bowls, pour the syrup evenly over them, and set them in the fridge to chill until you’re ready to serve them.

Although they need no embellishment, you could add a scoop of ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, a sprig of mint, or a fancy cookie to the plate. Or take them to the next level and drizzle them with chocolate.

Did you make it? Was it fabulous?