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This easy Red Wine Poached Pear Dessert lets the flavors of the pears shine! Half a poached pear sits atop a mound of mascarpone whipped cream and then is drizzled with a simple reduction of the poaching liquid.
So you’ve made red wine poached pears and now you’re wondering what to do with them? I’ve got some tricks up my sleeves! But, first I will leave you with the simplest and, some might argue, the best dessert to highlight poached pears.
You know I live for a complex pastry moment, but recently I have been delighting in the unassuming. There is actually a similar dessert to this red wine poached pear dessert on the menu at Restaurant Marc Forgione right now. Sure, there are 4 other components, because I am who I am. However, at its core, it is just a perfect poached pear in a pillow of mascarpone honey whipped cream.
The beauty of this dessert is also that it can be easily scaled up or down to serve two people or 20! Hey, sexy date-night or Valentine’s Day! Just poach more pears. Maybe don’t do all that work to just poach one pear though. Poach 4 and make this Hazelnut Pear Tart or these poached pear pavlovas too!
Just a quick note: the poaching liquid will break the whipped cream, so just pour it on at the last moment. If you don’t have or don’t want to purchase mascarpone, a honey whipped cream will also be delightful.
Easy Red Wine Poached Pear Dessert
Ingredients
- 2 Red Wine Poached Pears red wine poached pear recipe
- Poaching Liquid
- 2 T Mascarpone
- 2 T Honey
- 2 cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- In a saucepot, bring the poaching liquid to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until reduced by at least half. I like to take mine a little further. You can test it like jam on a frozen plate. It should thicken considerably and hold a line when you draw your finger across it. The good news is, if you cool it and it isn’t thick enough, just cook it some more! Refrigerate to cool completely.
- Slice the pears in half and cut out the stem.
- Make the whipped cream: in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a regular bowl, beat together mascarpone and honey with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add the heavy cream and whisk with the whisk attachment or by hand until soft peaks have formed. This means when you pull the whisk out of the whipped cream a peak will form and then fall over. It will not hold itself up.
- To Serve: Dollop a bit of the whipped cream in a bowl. Perch half of a pear on top or slightly off to the side. Then pour a generous amount of the cold, reduced poaching liquid on top. You can also top it with some toasted nuts or granola for a crunch. Pistachios are always a nice touch.
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