Red Wine Poached Pears sizzling in Choco-Mint sauce

Cooking with spirits is not something very common in my hearth. Save for an occasional splash to the pasta sauce or that little something in to christmas cake, the intoxicating beverages take a backseat as far as cooking is concerned. But, when I spotted Kankana's post on wine poached pears, my heart instantly knew the dessert my hubby will swoon over ;)

There were 3 pears waiting to be devoured; a good quantity of delectable wine reduced choco-mint sauce, a tub of icecream slowly melting away and very little patience . I did not have the good sense of setting up in advance the shoot place aka war zone (as my hubby puts it) and hence had to make do with hastily clicked shots !

A fresh batch of Strawberry Icecream in the freezer beckoned and I instantly knew, the poached fruits was in good company.

                      

Out came the bottle of Cuvee Giraud; the wine with a beautiful red color was just right for this dessert. The bottle must have been thankful to see the light of the day as the special occassion(s) for which the bottle was reserved were celebrated without its tingling & exalted presence =D>

Useful Pointers & Serving Suggestions:-(Thanks Kankana)

1.	You can poach pears in advance and let it refrigerate for a couple of days.You can either serve it cold or boil the sauce for 2 minutes and serve it warm.
2.	If you don’t like wine,you can use pomegranate juice or cranberry juice for the gorgeous red color.Use any citrus juice for poached pear sans colour !
3.	Enjoy it with some whipped cream, creme fraiche or ice-cream.
4.	The time mentioned for poaching the pears gave the fruit a slight crunch to it. If you want, you can cook it for 5 min more.

Ingredients :-(For poaching pears & the sauce)

Here's How :-

Peel the skin from the pear and retain the stalks. In a separate bowl, mix cocoa powder with water and set aside.

In a deep-bottomed pan, tip in the wine, lemon juice, vanilla extract along with sugar, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick and cinnamon powder. Mix well and bring it to a boil.

Then, drop the pears very carefully in the pan and bring the heat to medium low.Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.Toss the pear to the other side very gently and let it continue to simmer for another 10 to 12 minutes.

 

Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and allow it to cool. Continue reducing the wine in the pan until the quantity is halved and then add the cocoa mixture. Add butter and cream and keep stirring for about 2 minutes. The sauce starts looking smooth and silky. Tip in the mint leaves and continue boiling for 2 more minutes. Check for sugar and add some more if required. The sauce is ready. Strain the sauce and discard the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise and mint leaves.

Pour the sauce on the pear and enjoy it with choice accompaniment !

Verdict :- 

Stunning,sizzling & gorgeous.


Linking it to Nancy's YBR-March