Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
This delicious and fragrant dessert comes from a friend in Australia: pears roasted in red wine and vanilla sauce. Choose firm pears (but ripe) so they can stand cooking well. The recommended wine in the original recipe is an Australian wine from a Cabernet Sauvignon grape.
Ingredient list for Roasted Pears in Red Wine
Serve 4:
- 4 ripe pears
- 2/3 oz (20 g) softened butter
- 1/3 cup (50 g) of powdered sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
- Zest of half an orange (untreated)
- 2 glasses of red wine
- 3/4 cup (20 cl) of fresh cream
- Some pistachios or almonds to decorate
Cooking instructions
1. Preheat oven to 320°f (160°c).
2. Peel the pears, but keep the tail. Cut a strip on the bottom so that pears can stand well. Brush with butter cream (soft). Sprinkle with powdered sugar (about 2 tablespoons on each). Place in a baking dish with high sides.
3. In a saucepan, bring the remaining sugar to a boil with a tablespoon of water. Let it caramelize until golden. Add the red wine (beware of projections!) and let it reduce over low heat for a few minutes. Add the seeds of the vanilla pod and orange zest. Pour into the baking dish containing the pears.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes. Baste pears regularly with the reduced wine.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool before storing in the refrigerator.
6. Serve chilled with a few almonds on top or some crushed pistachios. Offer a good thick cream and some shortbread to accompany this lovely dessert. Vanilla or coconut ice cream are also good sides. Serve this dessert with the red wine which was used for cooking.