Who here likes wine? I definitely do, so I couldn’t resist making an easy dessert with wine as one of the main ingredients. These oven-poached pears with white wine are beautiful enough for a romantic dinner for two but also easy enough to make for a crowd. They are also super festive, making them the perfect dessert for a Thanksgiving celebration or Christmas party.
A Quick Introduction to Poaching
To poach means to place food in a cooking liquid and then to cook the whole thing slowly.
Poaching liquids can include water, wine, stock, or milk. The beauty of poaching is that you can infuse the cooking liquid with any other flavors that you like.
Poaching seasonal fruit is a great way to bring out its flavors. Since fall is my favorite season, I infused the poaching liquid with some of my favorite flavors like star anise, cinnamon, and orange. You can, of course, customize this recipe to highlight whatever flavors you like best.
Poaching also makes for a lovely presentation that will trick people into thinking that you spent hours preparing these oven-poached pears. In reality, it’s as easy as preparing the poaching liquid, submerging your fruit in it, and then either sticking the whole thing in the oven until it is ready or cooking it on the stove top.
As you can probably guess, I chose to oven-poach my pears because you don’t really need to watch the pears or worry about them not being fully submerged. Even if the poaching liquid only comes about halfway up, the steam that is created when you cover your baking dish will evenly cook the pears.
Choosing Wine for Poaching
You should only use a wine that you would drink on its own for poaching. You will really be able to taste it, so it has to be a good-quality wine.
It also helps if it is on the dryer side since you will be adding sugar to your poaching liquid. I ended up choosing an inexpensive Pinot Gris-Viognier blend, and I was thrilled with the results.
To Peel or Not to Peel?
Most recipes for poached pears will ask you to peel and core your pears. I used tiny Seckel pears, so I didn’t bother. The peel will add a slight hint of bitterness, but it actually complements the sweetness of the dish really well.
If you can’t find Seckel pears or if you don’t like any hint of bitterness, you can use regular-size pears and peel them.
I would, however, strongly recommend that you halve them to make sure that they are cooked through at the end.
Other Ways of Serving Oven-Poached Pears
I kept the presentation of these pears pretty simple because I want my guests to be able to taste the flavors that I used to infuse the wine.
The sky is the limit though. These oven-poached pears would be great served over some vanilla ice-cream or topped with homemade whipped cream. If you would like a healthier alternative, you could also make some whipped yogurt and use it in place of the whipped cream.
One last way to serve them would be to spoon them over a slice of cake. Yum!
Oven-Poached Pears with White Wine (V, GF)
These oven-poached pears with white wine are elegant enough for a romantic dinner but also easy enough to make for a crowd. They are infused with festive flavors, making them perfect for a Thanksgiving dinner or holiday party.
Ingredients
- 8 small Seckel pears
- OR 4 regular pears cut in half
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup of dry white wine (I used a Pinot Gris-Viognier blend)
- ½ cup of water
- 1 large piece of orange peel
- ⅓ cup of turbinado sugar or granulated sugar
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Step 2 Place the pears in an 8×8 in baking dish. If using regular pears, place them cut side down.
- Step 3 Put the star anise, cinnamon stick, white wine, water, orange peel, and sugar into a small sauce pan.
- Step 4 Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately turn off the heat.
- Step 5 Carefully pour the poaching liquid over the pears. It should come halfway up the baking dish.
- Step 6 Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the preheated oven.
- Step 7 Cook for 20-30 min or until a knife slides easily into the pears.
- Step 8 Serve warm or chilled with some of the poaching liquid. Remove the start anise, cinnamon stick, and orange peel before serving or use them as a garnish.
NOTE:
- You are welcome to peel the pears if you dislike the flavor of the skin.
- If using regular-size pears, it might take longer for them to cook. Check on them every 10 min or so to avoid overcooking them.
Here are other easy desserts that you might enjoy:
If you like this recipe, please make sure to pin it, share it on social media, or email it to your friends. Don’t be shy! People are always grateful for some cooking inspiration 
Also, if you have any questions or just want to let me know that you liked the recipe, please leave a comment below. Hearing from other adventurous home cooks always makes my day!
I love this take with white wine! I’ve only ever seen recipes with red. I’ll bet this is lighter and sweeter! YUM!
It is, Kelly! I really wanted to let the flavor and aroma of the pears shine, so that’s why I went with white 🙂
I’ve never poached anything like this before because it sounds so daunting… however you have made it really easy to do so! Your instructions are amazing and oh my, those pears look incredible especially with the cinnamon sticks. And of course you can’t go wrong with wine! YUM!
Right? Everything is just a little bit better with wine! 🙂
What a lovely, old-fashioned treat. Poached pears have an aroma, texture, and taste that transports m back to my childhood. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Analida!
Gorgeous! Your pics are lovely and this dessert would be perfect for both Halloween and Christmas!
Thank you, Emily!
Oh how pretty, this reminds me of Christmas. My mom would make poached pears for Christmas almost every year. This reminds me of her. Pretty pictures.
Thank you, Veena!
I’ve made peached pears only once and oh I loved it so much. Wonder why I never make it often. What a lovely flavors wine imparts to pears. Perfect dessert to warm you up.
They’ve quickly become my favorite dessert, Jo! They are just so easy to make 🙂
I love poached pears but have always been a little scared of making them myself. Thank you for such a great guide, I’m definitely going to give this a go now. Also, your photos are gorgeous, so crystal clear!
Thank you, Michelle! Please let me know how they turn out.
OMG..these porched pears sound so delicious! Perfect for autumn desserts and how easy to prepare.
Thank you, Jagruti!
These look decadent and perfect for dessert any night of the week, but now that it’s chilly out these sound even better. Warm out of the oven sounds spectacular!
Thank you, Jenni! I would eat them every day if I could 🙂
What a lovely dessert! I love how simple it is and that there’s very few processed ingredients!
Thank you, Holly! I love keeping recipes simple to let the flavors of the ingredients shine 🙂
Those pears look stunning! What a fancy dessert to serve for the holidays. I definitely love wine and pears are one of my favorite fruits for sure. I cannot wait to try this! Thanks for sharing!
Let me know how you like it, Michele!
Is there anything more elegant than a perfectly poached pear?! These are SO gorgeous – the photography is really beautiful in your post! I love star anise, too, so this is looking reeeeeally good right now!
Thank you, Ashley!