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–+ servings
Red Wine poached pears

Red Wine Poached Pears

An elegant dessert of pears gently poached in spiced red wine, served warm over a rich chocolate and walnut brownie. Impressive enough for a romantic dinner, yet surprisingly simple to make.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Choose Serving Size 6

Ingredients 

  • 200 g all-purpose flour
  • 4 tbsp brown sugar
  • 100 g walnuts chopped
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 3 tbsp plum jam
  • 200 ml sparkling water
  • 50 ml grapeseed oil
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 7 g baking powder
  • 1 tsp rum extract

For the pears:

  • 2 cups dry red wine about 500ml
  • ⅓ cup caster sugar about 70g
  • 1 stick vanilla
  • 2 star anise whole
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 vanilla bean split
  • 4 pears peeled and deseeded

Instructions

  • Put all the ingredients except the walnuts in your food processor and mix well. Add the chopped walnuts and pulse once or twice.
  • Grease a muffin pan and divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C/375F and bake the brownies for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the pears:
  • Place the pears in a pot and add enough red wine to cover them.
  • Add the star anise, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla bean.
  • Bring to a simmer, then add the sugar. Stir well and cook for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the pears, trim the bottoms flat, and place them on top of the brownies.
  • Sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle over some of the spiced wine syrup.

Notes

Choose a vegan-certified red wine, as some reds are fined with animal-derived agents. The pears can be poached a day ahead and stored in their syrup in the fridge for up to 3 days; simply reheat before serving.