Pears Poached in Red Wine

I made these poached pears mainly because I wanted to use up the leftover marsala wine from the chicken marsala I made recently (that, and I love poached pears). You'll notice my pears didn't turn that gorgeous, deep red color they often do when poached in red wine (my marsala was on the light side). So you might want to pick a different wine if you're going for that look.

I served these with the poaching liquid, crème fraîche and pizzelles. You should consider crumbling the pizzelle over the top (I made the mistake of putting mine on top of the poaching liquid and the pizzelle soaked up most of it). It was still delicious, just a little soggy.

PEARS POACHED IN RED WINE

Makes 4 servings

1 (750 ml.) bottle dry red wine

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cinnamon stick

4 firm but ripe pears, peeled, stems left intact

serving suggestions:

crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream

pizzelles or almond-anise biscotti

1.      Combine wine, water, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, cardamom and cinnamon in a heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer.

2.      Add pears and return mixture to simmer. Reduce heat and simmer slowly until pears are tender when pierced with knife, about 25 minutes. Transfer pears to plate. Boil liquid in saucepan until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes.

(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill pears in poaching liquid. Before serving, rewarm over medium-low heat until pears are heated through.)

3.      Serve each pear with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.  Drizzle with poaching liquid.  Garnish with pizzelle or biscotti crumbs (or serve whole on the side).

adapted from Bon Appétit, March 1997

peeled and raw

everybody in the pool

poached

poached on a plate

with just poaching liquid and pizzelles on the side

Crème Fraîche

Riding high after successfully making homemade ricotta cheese, I saw a recipe for homemade crème fraîche and decided to keep the momentum going (really I just wanted to use up some extra buttermilk I had no plans for, but the momentum thing sounds more exciting).

If you've never had crème fraîche (pronounced krem-fresh), it's a French soured cream (tangy like regular sour cream, but a bit thinner). It's used as a sauce or topping for both savory and sweet dishes. It's more expensive than sour cream and not always as easy to find (which is great motivation for making it yourself at home).

CRÈME FRAÎCHE

Yield: 2 cups

1 pint heavy cream

1/4 cup cultured buttermilk

1.      Heat the heavy cream to lukewarm, about 100º F. Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk. Pour the mixture into a 1-pint glass container.

2.      Cover with a clean kitchen towel.  Leave in a warm spot (away from drafts) and let sit until it has thickened and has a slightly sour, tangy flavor, 18-36 hours (time depends on the temperature of your kitchen).

3.      Stir and refrigerate for another 24 hours before using. Can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

This recipe is a compilation of many recipes I read online and one from Peter Berley.

lukewarm milk with buttermilk added

I made a double batch in a 1-quart jar

I used a rubber band to keep my towel on (looks like the sheik of dairy)

after 18 hours

after 20 hours

at 29 hours (jackpot!)

Here are some recipes I've made with crème fraîche: Salmon with Watercress-Herb Salad and Lemon Sauce, Mashed Potatoes with Fennel & Rosemary, Tagliatelle with Mustard-Crème Fraîche Sauce and Pears Poached in Red Wine.

Pizzelles

not our family crest

I've had a pizzelle iron for at least a year, just sitting in my cabinet. I finally broke it out and made my first ever pizzelles! They were really nice...very delicate and not overly sweet (and pretty). 

Pizzelles are Italian wafer/waffle cookies. I've heard they're the oldest known cookie in the world, but I think there are other cookies that make the same claim, so who knows. I've also heard there used to be families in Italy who had their family crest imprinted on their pizzelle iron to personalize their cookies.

Pizzelles can also be rolled into a cone shape for, you guessed it, ice cream cones.

PIZZELLES

Yield: 30 cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

6 eggs

3 cups sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons anise extract
2 pinches fine salt

1.      Mix together the ingredients in the order given.

2.      Heat pizzelle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Drop about 1 tablespoon dough on the hot iron. Close the iron and wait 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

adapted from recipe submitted to allrecipes.com by Ed.

dough mixing

pizzelle irons come with different patterns

dough on pizzelle iron

the extra dough around the edges breaks off easily

I probably should have made some of these into cones,
just for show (some how I never think of these
things until I'm writing the post).