The Dutch aren’t exactly known for their cuisine. I mean their national dish is literally mashed potatoes with kale with sausage thrown in. But when it comes to the dessert department, they know what they’re doing. There are stroopwafels, caramel waffle cookies that are the equivalent of heaven on Earth. Then there are the poffertjes, little-puffed pancakes that they cover in powdered sugar and served on especially cold days. Then, my friends, there are the poached pears. Soaked in red wine and spiced with the flavors of Christmas, they like to make a big batch of these and set them on the table with dinner, dessert, breakfast…whenever! Around November, the Dutch supermarkets set out their special pear-stewing pears. These are really hard and can only be eaten after no less than 500 hours of simmering (okay, exaggerating a little, but you get the point). I like to instead use slightly under ripe pears that are meant to be eaten raw (like conference pears) for making these poached pears. These don’t need to be cooked for as long (nor can they be cooked for long, as they will break down). This means you can whip them up in 20 minutes and eat them fresh, or set them in the fridge in their juices to continue soaking up the flavor.
Ingredients to make poached pears
Conference Pears: Great taste without the long cooking time. Learn more about pear varieties here. Dry Red Wine: Use the cheap stuff here! Spices: Cloves, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla bring that classic cozy flavor to these stewed pears!
Making these red wine poached pears is as simply as simmering all the ingredients together until the pears are tender and full of flavor! Serve them like the Dutch do, as a side dish to winter dinners (a bit like you would serve applesauce). Or serve them as a festive dessert for your Thanksgiving or Christmas feasts! I first published this recipe on Amanda’s Cookin’.
