Reisling poached Korean pears a perfect dessert for fall and winter meals! This make ahead, no skills required dessert recipe is subtly spiced with orange, star anise and cinnamon- the perfect dessert after an asian themed meal!
After all the cheese and charcuterie (and we are NOT even going to talk about all the bread and wine....) I am trying to keep things a little lighter here at the Table for the next couple of weeks - more vegetables and fruit, less cheese ( 😥 and less meat. So, when these gorgeous Korean Pears arrived from Melissa's Produce... well, I knew exactly what to do with them.
Poach them. In Wine.
In the fall and winter, one of my favorite desserts is poached pears in wine. After a hefty meal, they make the perfect dessert - they are easy to make, they look gorgeous and and they taste rich enough to balance heavier fall and winter meals.
I usually poach Bosc pears in red wine... but somehow that didn't seem quite right with the Korean Pears. If you've never tried a Korean Pear, you really should. Unlike european pears (bosc, comice, bartlett, etc.) Korean pears are firm and crisp - not to mention incredibly juicy and refreshing. They are just beginning to come into season so check with your grocer to see if they are carrying Melissa's Korean Pears! If they aren't, don't hesitate to contact Melissa's to find a store that carries them in your area!
So after "sampling" one (ok, it was more like three, but research is important, right?) I thought a riesling would be perfect for poaching the pears and would complement the sweet and clean flavor of the pears. Asian spices including ginger, star anise and cinnamon seemed like a natural pairing with just a little hint of orange to bring everything together.
I am happy to report that I was thrilled with the results - the Asian pears poached in wine tasted exactly as I had hoped they would! This dessert would be perfect with any asian influenced dish or following any type of braised dish. Because you can make these ahead of time, they make a perfect "party" dish... just gently re heat them and you are good to go!
As you can see in the photos, I didn't garnish them with ice cream or creme fraiche but they would be delicious with a little vanilla ice cream or with some ginger cookies... or both!!!
These would even be great at Thanksgiving if all things pumpkin and pie aren't your thing!!!
📖Recipe
Riesling Poached Korean Pears
Ingredients
- 4 fresh Korean Pears
- 1 750 ml bottle late harvest riesling
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 - 6 cups water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole star anise
- ¼ inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and sliced
- 1 orange
Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel and the pears and cut a small amount from the bottom of each pear so that stands up straight. Set aside. Using the same peeler, remove the zest from the orange in large strips, being careful to include as little of the white pith as possible. In a large (3 quart) pot combine the riesling, sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise , ginger and orange zest. Over medium heat, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pears and then enough water to barely cover the pears. Bring liquid to a simmer and simmer for 1 to 1 ¼ hours until the pears are easily pierced with a cake tester (I use a cake tester so that I can test the tenderness of the entire pear). When pears are tender, remove from the poaching liquid and set aside. Bring poaching liquid to a boil and boil until reduced by ½ and liquid has thickened to a light syrup consistency. Taste. Depending upon how sweet your riesling is you may wish to add additional sugar - add by tablespoons, stirring to dissolve. Pears can be made 1 day ahead - refrigerate pears and syrup in a covered container. Warm pears and syrup before serving. To serve, place a pear on each plate and drizzle with the syrup. You can remove the orange zest and cut into small slivers for garnish if you like.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
I see the Korean pears in the grocery this time every year, but have never tried them. Mainly because I had no idea what to do with them. Now I do! Happy to see that you've used my favorite wine - riesling - and some of my favorite spices, too. I'm thinking this would be an elegant finish for our Thanksgiving dinner.
Carrian@ohsweetbasil says
I have never tried this, it looks soooo good , I can't wait to take a bite out of this pear!
Dorothy at ShockinglyDelicious says
Stunning and simple -- the perfect dessert!
Maria says
Great recipe! I agree with Dorothy...simple and deliriously stunning!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
That sounds like the perfect pairing, I think Riesling is superb and much unappreciated.
Magic of Spice says
I just adore poached pears...well anything really 🙂 Beautiful!
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dhea says
Fresh and simple
The perfect dessert
Ashley Vaughn says
This recipe is delightful! I made 5 pears instead of 4, because mine were small. I also added the juice from half of the orange. At the end I found that there was an over abundance of syrup left (even after the reduction) so I added 1/4 c more of sugar and tried to reduce longer. I decided there was still too much (about 3 cups at this point) so I used 1 cup to make a simple caramel sauce. It was so good! To make the caramel I used about 1 cup syrup, 3 tbsp salted butter and 1/4-1/3 cup heavy cream (I just eyeballed it). In a heavy saucepan: Heat until boiling then add in butter. Heat again until boiling then slowly add in cream and whisk. For a thinner caramel sauce: It should be done when the bubbles start to rise in the pan. For a thicker one cook a little longer (until about 220-225 degrees F). I also took out the orange peels, at the end, and coated them in white sugar for candied orange peels. Excellent recipe! I will definitely be making this again. Next time I might decide to candy the ginger slices too!