Poires au vin rouge — whole pears poached in spiced red wine
Poires au vin rouge is a poached-fruit dessert, not pears splashed with raw wine at the table. The fruit cooks in a sweetened red-wine bath until tender, then comes out of the pan before the liquid is concentrated. That separation is what protects the shape of the pears while still producing a syrup with enough body to coat them.
Williams pears are used here because they take on colour readily and can poach evenly when chosen firm. Six pears weigh about 1.08 kg before peeling and coring; the edible fruit is estimated at 900 g. Keeping the stems intact makes the whole pears easy to handle, while coring from the base removes the seed core without cutting them into halves.
The spice profile stays restrained: one cinnamon stick, a few cloves, vanilla and orange peel. The wine is diluted with a measured 250 ml water and sweetened with 180 g sugar. A parchment lid or careful turning keeps the exposed side of each pear in contact with the red liquid, so colour develops evenly rather than leaving a pale strip.
The knife test matters more than an arbitrary extra ten minutes. Stop when a small knife enters the thickest part with slight resistance and the fruit still stands upright. The pears then leave the pan, the liquid reduces to exactly 360 ml, and the measured syrup returns to the fruit for cooling and chilling. Some alcohol can remain even after this cooking.
