Poached
Pears with Red Wine and Ginger Sauce
Serves 4
Poached
pear recipes are always popular. This one is distinguished by the addition
of ginger.
4 hard pears
300ml / 10fl oz red wine
25g / 1oz caster sugar
1 whole cinnamon stick
5ml/1tsp arrowroot
1 piece stem ginger in syrup, very finely chopped
15ml / 1tbsp stem ginger syrup
1.
Peel the pears, but leave the stalks intact.
2.
Slice a thin disc from the base of each pear, if necessary, to
make it
sit upright.
3.
Place the pears on their sides in a saucepan. Pour in the red wine,
sprinkle
over
the sugar and add the cinnamon stick.
4.
Bring up to simmering point, cover the pan and simmer very slowly
for about
one hour, turning
now and again so that the pears cook evenly in the wine.
5.
When the pears are cooked, transfer to a bowl to cool, leaving the
poaching
liquid in
the pan. Remove the cinnamon stick.
6.
Mix the arrowroot with a little water until it forms a smooth paste.
Add this to the
liquid in the pan over direct heat. Bring the syrup just up to simmering
point so that it thickens slightly and becomes translucent.
7.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped stem ginger and
ginger
syrup to
taste. Leave to cool.
8.
Spoon the sauce over the pears, basting them well. Cover and chill
thoroughly.
Serve
the pears in individual dishes with the sauce spooned over.
©The Vegetarian
Society 2001
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