Cooking with Wine

Vanilla Poached Pears with Bittersweet Chocolate

Poached pears make an elegant dessert and are easy to prepare.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 22-27 minutes

Nutrition Score per serving:

1 pear, 2 tablespoons chocolate sauce: 391 calories, 13 g fat (26% of calories), 7 g saturated fat, 59 g carbs, 3 g protein, 8 g fiber, 30 mg calcium, 1 mg iron, 4 mg sodium

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of dry white wine (such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
1/4 cup sugar
Fine zest of two lemons
1 vanilla bean
4 Bartlett or Bosc pears (medium ripe), peeled, cored, and quartered
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

In a medium-large saucepan, add wine, sugar, and lemon zest. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds from the pod. Mash the seeds into the liquid. Over medium heat, cook the liquid for 2 minutes.

Add the pears to the syrup and continue to cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Baste the pears several times as they cook.

Once pears are done, make the chocolate sauce. In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate (or use the bowl-and-saucepan method described on the next page). Place 4 pieces of pear in a bowl and spoon 2 tablespoons of the liquid over the fruit, then lightly drizzle the pears with chocolate. Repeat for each serving. Enjoy immediately.