RED WINE
Level 2
Raspberry Red Poached Pears
- a Marlene Samuels creation -
Give a sophisticated dinner party and we all run into the same problem: lots of partially-filled bottles of Shiraz, Merlot, Cab and other red wines crammed into the refrigerator, some with floating corks at the bottom. After the normal period of neglect, each wine’s bouquet gets compromised; the flavor becoming border-line or just plain undrinkable. So thinking like scientists, we figured out we could dump all sorts of red wine into one pot, burn off the alcohol (to get rid of the fermenty-vinegary taste), add sugar (to counteract the sour taste) and raspberries to intensify the berry flavor of the poaching liquid. What you get is a picture perfect dessert: wine-based berry sauce without the alcohol intensity, ravishing over pears.
- In a medium skillet, cook wine for 2-3 minutes until hot (but not boiling), allowing alcohol to evaporate. Add sugar, orange peel, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Turn heat to low, add 1 bag frozen raspberries, mix, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Meantime, peel pears. Cut in half vertically, retaining stems if possible. With a teaspoon, scoop seeds and core out of each half.
- Strain raspberry wine sauce into a bowl through a fine sieve to remove. Return the liquid to the skillet. Arrange pears face down in pan, cover and return to low heat. Cook 10 minutes.
- Using 2 wooden spoons, turn pears over. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Carefully remove pears to a platter, reserving liquid in a pitcher. Cover and refrigerate both until ready to serve.
