Pears Poached in Spiced Grape Juice

Name: Pears Poached in Spiced Grape Juice
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 pears
Ingredients: 6 firm-ripe Bosc pears; 3 cups unsweetened red grape juice; 1 cinnamon stick; 3 slices fresh ginger; 3 whole cloves; 1 strip lemon zest; 1 tbsp lemon juice

The Duchess's Pears

Whole pears simmered in red grape juice with cinnamon, ginger and cloves until they turn ruby and tender. A fourteenth-century royal recipe (pears in a spiced syrup), made without the wine.

Fork or mugMake-aheadHolds 3h+VegetarianVegan

Prep15 min

Cook30 min

Total45 min

Yield6 pears

At the table: Warm or at room temperature through a meal.

Not yet table-tested. This recipe is written from standard, well-known methods and has not been through our test tables yet. The badge changes when it has.

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As written: poached and served in their juice.
Lift out the pears and boil the poaching liquid down to about a cup, until it is a glossy syrup that coats a spoon.
Make a fresh curd cheese (warm milk and lemon juice, strained through a cloth) to serve alongside.
Stand each pear in a pool of syrup with a spoon of honeyed curd cheese, toasted almonds and a bay leaf at the stem.

Cooking at Hearth. The dish as written. Simple, honest, done well.

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Why nowIt's a whole fruit for dessert, it needs no added sugar, and it looks like a feast.

Pears Poached in Spiced Grape Juice — Illustration generated with AI, not a photo of this recipe.

Ingredients

Party size

As written: 6 pears.

Method

Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler, leaving the stems on.
Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each pear so it stands up, and scoop out the core from below with a melon baller.
Put the grape juice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and lemon zest in a saucepan just wide enough to hold the pears lying down. Bring to a boil.
Add the pears, lower to a gentle simmer, and lay a circle of parchment on top. Cook 20 to 30 minutes, turning the pears every 10 minutes.
Look forA knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance.
Stir the lemon juice into the pot. Serve the pears warm or cold, standing in bowls with a few spoons of the poaching liquid.

Make ahead

Keep the pears in their liquid in the fridge up to 4 days. They get redder every day.

Holding

Warm or at room temperature through a meal.

Allergens

None of the major allergens as written. Always check labels on packaged ingredients.

Notes

The original, peres in confyt, poached pears in red wine with spices. Swap 2 cups of the juice for red wine and 1 cup water for a grown-up version (it keeps some alcohol).

Tavern Night

This dish's twist table (d6)

1–2	The classic stands. No twist. Cook it as written.
3	Herb swap. A bay leaf and a few black peppercorns in the poaching liquid
4	Acid strike. A spoon of plain yogurt beside each pear
5	Plating challenge. Halve them and fan them on a plate
6	Host's boon. The Host picks any twist above, or the table invents one. The safety rule still applies.

Roll before you start cooking. No twist ever changes a time, a temperature or how done something must be.