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Slow-Cooker Red-Wine Poached Pears

Bosc pears soften slowly in red wine and whole spices, then receive a glossy syrup and a cool spoonful of mascarpone.

Whole red-wine poached pears glisten with spiced syrup beside a spoonful of mascarpone.

A slow cooker keeps the wine gently aromatic while the pears soften without the agitation of a rolling stovetop simmer. The key is to stop when the fruit still offers slight resistance, so it can be lifted and plated whole.

Choose pears that can hold their shape

Firm Bosc pears keep their outline as they absorb the spiced wine. Peeling them while leaving the stems in place gives the finished dessert a clean, intact shape for lifting and serving.

Use the knife as the doneness cue

Slow-cooker heat varies, so tenderness is more useful than the clock alone. Turn the pears gently during cooking and stop when a thin knife enters with slight resistance, before the flesh begins to slump.

Peeled Bosc pears sit in red wine with orange peel, cinnamon, and star anise in a slow cooker. — Whole peeled pears rest in the red-wine mixture with orange peel and whole spices before cooking.

Reduce the strained wine separately

Once the pears are lifted out, straining removes the peel and whole spices before the liquid is reduced. A glossy coating on the back of a spoon signals that the wine has concentrated enough to cling to the fruit.

Serve warm or chilled

The pears work at either temperature: keep them warm while the syrup reduces, or chill them in a little strained poaching liquid and cool the syrup separately. Mascarpone adds a mild, creamy counterpoint to the wine, orange, and spice.

Glossy wine syrup coats the intact pear beside creamy mascarpone on a dessert plate. — The glossy red-wine syrup clings to a tender whole pear served with mascarpone.

Slow-Cooker Red-Wine Poached Pears

6 servings

215 minutes total

Ingredients

• 6 firm Bosc pears
• 1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 wide strips orange peel (from 1 orange)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup mascarpone

Method

Prepare the pears
Peel the Bosc pears, keeping their stems intact, and trim a thin slice from each base only if needed to help it stand; brush the peeled surfaces with lemon juice.
Look for: The pears are evenly peeled, with stems attached and no large flat areas cut away.
Build the poaching liquid
Pour the dry red wine into a 5- to 6-quart oval slow cooker and stir in the granulated sugar, orange peel, cinnamon stick, star anise, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt until the sugar begins to dissolve.
Look for: The wine smells of citrus and spice, and no dry sugar mound remains on the cooker bottom.
Coat the pears
Set the pears on their sides in the wine mixture and roll each one gently so the surface is coated; arrange them in a single layer with space for the lid to close.
Look for: Each pear has a sheen of wine and sits below the lid without being forced into place.
Poach gently
Cover and cook on LOW, turning the pears gently once during cooking, until a thin knife enters the thickest part with slight resistance and the pears still hold their shape.
Look for: A thin knife meets slight resistance, and no pear has begun to slump or split.
Lift out the fruit
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears carefully to a shallow serving dish, keeping the stems intact and leaving the wine and whole spices in the cooker.
Look for: The pears are supported underneath and retain their shape as they leave the cooker.
Strain the poaching liquid
Pour the wine through a fine-mesh strainer into a saucepan, discarding the orange peel, cinnamon stick, and star anise; rinse the slow-cooker insert before returning the pears to it if you plan to keep them warm.
Look for: The strained liquid is clear of peel and whole spices.
Choose warm or chilled service
For chilled pears, pour 1 cup of strained poaching liquid over the pears in their shallow dish, cover, and refrigerate until cold; for warm service, leave the pears covered in the slow cooker on WARM while the liquid is reduced.
Look for: The chilled pears rest in a little fragrant liquid, or the covered warm pears remain intact without simmering.
Reduce to a glossy syrup
Bring the remaining strained liquid to a steady simmer in the saucepan and reduce it until glossy and able to coat the back of a spoon; if serving the pears chilled, cool the syrup separately.
Look for: Bubbles become slower and glossier, and a thin film of syrup clings to a spoon.
Plate the pears
Arrange the pears upright on individual plates or a shallow platter and spoon the red-wine syrup over them, using the chilled syrup for cold pears or the warm syrup for warm pears.
Look for: The syrup catches the light on the pears without pooling heavily around their bases.
Finish with mascarpone
Serve each pear with a spoonful of mascarpone alongside so its cool, mild richness balances the wine and spice; serve warm or chilled according to the chosen preparation.
Look for: The mascarpone stays distinct beside the glossy pear and syrup.