This Weeknight-Friendly French Dessert Requires Just a Bottle of Wine and a Few Pears

Step into my apartment, and you’ll find many, many bottles of wine on my dining table. My husband imports Portuguese wine, and his job involves opening and tasting a lot of fermented grape juice at restaurants, bars, and wine stores. Usually the leftover wine goes to our neighbors, but if I’m feeling resourceful, I’ll incorporate it into dishes like braised short ribs and risotto, or turn it into poaching liquid for winter fruit such as quince or pears. 

Red wine poached pears—poire à la Beaujolaise—are a classic French dessert you might find on the menus of bistros and brasseries: Pears are simmered with red wine, sugar, and sometimes an assortment of warm spices until tender, then served with their poaching liquid. It’s a minimal-effort dessert that’s elegant enough for a dinner party, but also simple enough to prepare on a weeknight. Plus, you can make the dessert up to three days ahead of when you plan to serve it, and as the pears sit in their poaching liquid, they take on a beautiful burgundy hue.

Though the dish is traditionally prepared with Beaujolais, a fruity red wine made from Gamay grapes, just about any red wine will work just fine here. (Unless you have an extremely refined palate or nose, the difference is barely discernible.) The variety of pears you use matters less than the ripeness of the pears: You want them to be just ripe and beginning to soften, but not so tender that they will fall apart during poaching. I have a soft spot for Bartlett and Starkrimson pears—they are both juicy and, when ripe, soften but still retain some firmness, making them ideal for cooking with. Their skins also change color as they ripen, giving you a good idea of when they’re ready to use: Bartlett pears turn yellow, while Starkrimsons become a brighter red. When in doubt, feel your pears and inhale deeply—the fruit should yield slightly when gently pressed and smell sweet.

To give my poached pears a flavor profile similar to that of wintry mulled wine, I incorporate a mixture of fresh orange peel, a cinnamon stick, cloves, black peppercorns, and star anise, adding just enough to the wine to give the liquid a warm spiced note, but not so much that it overwhelms the pears. While the pears are delicious when served with their poaching liquid, I like to take it a step further and reduce the wine for a more concentrated sauce. After I remove the spices, I simmer the poaching liquid until it thickens to a glaze, then spoon it over the pears. Enjoyed on their own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or drizzle of vanilla sauce, it’s a dessert that makes me feel like I’m sitting in the warm glow of a French bistro—even if I’m just sitting on my couch at home.