Poached pear in white wine is a classic Italian recipe you make when you want something deliciously elegant but don't have time to make a sophisticated dessert. We serve Pera al vin bianco with creamy mascarpone cheese or Greek yogurt and topped with toasted granola and a drizzle of caramelized wine sauce.
Next time try this easy upside down pear polenta cake it's so beautiful and the taste is dilettevole (delightful).
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's a light dessert with white wine that's easy to make in advance!
- You don't have to peel pears which means no waste and you retain the vitamins in the skin!
- Ordinary ingredients that are easy to find!
- Low in fat and carbohydrates!
- It's simply one of the most delicious desserts!
My Mamma frequently macerated fruit in white wine. Fruity desserts with wine was always a treat since the wine adopted the flavor of the fruit. This is the best of the simple desserts.
🛒 Ingredients
This poached pear in white wine recipe is made with simple ingredients such as:
- Fresh Pear -- Made with firm not hard pears. We used Bartlett but you may also use Anjou cut in half.
- Vanilla Greek Yogurt -- typically the classic Italian would use mascarpone. I used what I had on hand.
- Granola -- we used our homemade granola but you may use any granola you like. Toast it to get the additional flavor.
- White wine -- Instead of a dry white wine, any sweeter white like a Riesling or Traminer is best. We were lucky to find one that was a combination of both.
- Honey -- we love our raw unprocessed variety but you may use any kind you like.
This is such a lovely Autumn recipe, one featuring apples would be good too.
📝 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions and ingredient checklist are in the recipe card below.
- Place the prepared halved pears face down in a shallow baking dish. Pour the wine and honey over them.
- Bake the pears in a 375℉ oven for about 30-25 minutes.
- When the pears are done pour the pear-wine liquid into a medium saucepan. Cook until reduced to ½ cup sauce that's of syrupy consistency.
- Toast the granola in the heated oven while the pear sauce is reducing, about 5-10 minutes.
- When ready to serve place a pear half on dessert plate.
- Fill the pear cavity with Vanilla Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of toasted granola, and a drizzle of the pear wine sauce.
🍐 How to store
Keep the poached pears in covered container and the sauce in a glass measuring cup covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.
When ready to eat, serve the cooked pears at room temperature or on the cool side.
You can store the pears up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
🔪 Equipment
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You'll need the following items to make the poached pears in white wine successfully.
- Shallow casserole dish
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Glass measuring cup -- this one has a non-drip spout.
- Measuring spoons
- Medium saucepan -- we like pans with spouts, makes it easier to pour.
- Aluminum foil
- Dessert plates
👩🏻🍳 Tips
Make sure the casserole dish you use is shallow and not too large. You want to retain as much of the white wine syrup as you can for the poached pear in white wine.
Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil, this will prevent too much moisture from evaporating.
The best pears for poaching are ones that are firm and don't easily lose their shape. We used Bartlett pears but you can also use Bosc or D'Anjou.
If you want to make it the baked pears non-alcoholic, just use a flavoring liquid with your favorite sweetener and seasonings. We give you full directions in the recipe card below.
🤔 FAQs
A fruity wine such as a Pinot Grigio, Riesling, or Traminer.
Yes. Many pears exude a subtle vanilla perfume that can be reminiscent of vanilla’s muskiness you can find in some wines.
Cutting out the core helps the fruit to cook through, and also saves the guest from scooping it up by mistake. The chewy core is not very tasty.
As they cook they need to be submerged in liquid. The air touching the flesh of the pear before it is cooked will cause them to discolor.
The pear varieties ideal for baking are firm pearls like Bosc red pear, red and green D'Anjou pears, Bartlett, Forelle, and Concorde pears. These pear varieties are best for cooking or baking as they can hold their form and flavor well even when cooked at high temperatures. Also, they do not easily turn brown after being cut.
Yes. All you need is some cooking liquid which can be made up of fruit juice or sweetened water. A sweetener you like the taste of which can be honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, granulated sugar or brown sugar. And a flavoring agent or spices you can choose from cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, fresh ginger. You can even use vanilla extract, vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste, lemon zest or orange zest.
📚 Related Recipes
Fruit desserts are always a delicious meal ending.
- Italian Plum Torte -- A simple butter cake transforms into an elegant fruit torte glazed with a tasty plum sauce.
- Light Strawberry Mousse -- This is a creamy dessert bursting with berry flavor. Light and fresh.
- Peaches and Cream Almondine -- A quick and easy creamy pie that is studded with fresh peaches and topped with toasted almonds.
📞 Chiacchierata
A while back I was reading about poached pears in white wine from Fred Plotkin's book La Terra Fortunata. He told how pears poached in white wine is a classic dessert in the Fruili- Venezia Giulia region of Italy.
In most of Italy red wine is used, but in this region white wine is predominant. I had to try the recipe since that's the region I'm from.
It was supposed to be quick and easy. But on this particular day I got a late start and I was worried I wouldn't get the fruit dessert in wine finished.
But as my mamma always said, volere è potere {Where there's a will there's a way}. The poached pears in white wine sauce turned out perfectly!
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Alla Prossima!
If you like this poached pear in white wine recipe please give it a 5-star rating! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📙Recipe
📖 Recipe
Poached Pears in White Wine
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 2 medium pears Bartlett or Anjou cut in half.
- 1 ½ cups white wine such as a Riesling or Traminer { we used a bottle with a blend of the two) ***See notes to make it non-alcoholic.
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- ½ cup granola
- 10 oz. Mascarpone cheese or Greek Vanilla Yogurt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 F.
- Halve the pears lengthwise; remove core with small spoon. No need to peel them.Place pears cut side down, in shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them.
- Pour the white wine over the pears; drizzle with the honey
- Cover the pan loosely with foil. Bake until tender, 30-35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in shallow baking pan, bake granola until toasted, 5-10 minutes; set aside.
- When pears are done, pour liquid from the baking dish into a sauce pan. Cook the liquid from the pears over medium heat until it is reduced to ½ cup. Cool.
- Top each pear cut side up with a dollop of mascarpone cheese or vanilla Greek yogurt. Top with toasted granola; drizzle with pear/wine liquid.
Notes
Nutrition
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. PromiseFirst Published: March 5, 2015. Last updated: August 19, 2021. Updated for additional information, improved photographs, and better reader experience.
Loreto and Nicoletta
Leave it to us Italians to cook with wine. Your pears look lovely and remind me of what we do in the summer when the peaches are ripe. We pour a nice glass if red wine then put our cut peaches inside. We eat the peaches after they have absorbed some if the wine then drink the wine.byummmmy! Thanks for sharing these simple but delicious Italian dishes!
Brianna
THese poached pears are easy and sophisticate. My favorite kind of recipe!
kushigalu
Love this simple yet so delicious and flavorful dessert with pear. My hubby would love this. I will soon try it this way.
Kari Heron | Chef and Steward
Marissa, I just bought some pears in the supermarket for my son and when I tasted them when I reached home, I thought, these would be lovely poached and voila, here you are with an intriguing recipe!
Marisa Franca
I'm so glad you have the pears to try the dessert, Kari!! I know you're going to love it. Such a light dessert but very satisfying. xoxo
Mikayla
Wow deliciously decadent yet simple, Love the option you give for Mascarpone cheese or Greek yogurt. Easily would use this recipe again for a girls brunch!
Erin
This is such a classy looking, but easy, recipe! I can't wait to give it a try. The addition of granola + yogurt is such a great idea!
Megan Ellam
Simple and perfect. An easy recipe with a delicious subtlety of flavours and texture. Thank you!
Linda
Love this pear dessert, but I've never tried making this at home. Can't wait to try this one!
Amy Liu Dong
Such a delicious dessert recipe that will make my heart happy. I will def try this, thank you!
Allyssa
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. Loved how flavorful it is! Will surely have this one again, Highly recommended!
Megan Ellam
Such a great recipe. So simple and delicious! Fruit for a dessert is the perfect ending to our dinners. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe.
Gloria
Well this sounds amazing. I love having fruit for dessert. I need to pick some fresh pears up at the market this weekend. You don't have to ask me twice to cook with wine. Looks like a plan to me.
Jovina Coughlin
I agree with your other commenters - wonderful recipe. I love to make poached pears for dinner guests as a dessert but I have always used red wine. You introduced me to making them with white wine and since it looks so good, I will definitely make it this way next time. I am also familiar with the wines from Fruili-Venezia Giulia region, and I can see how they would be perfect in this recipe. Looking forward to making this recipe.
Marisa Franca
I think the wines from this region are really under-rated. They are delicious -- both the reds and the whites. I really liked leaving the skin on the pear -- it didn't make any difference at all.
Diane P.
Hi Marisa----This looks like a wonderfully easy and quick desert! Mascarpone? That's a big YES!! Will certainly be putting this on the table soon. Have mascarpone in the fridge--just need the pears. Thanks for this wonderful post.
Marisa Franca
I think the mascarpone will be even creamier than the yogurt.
Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen
Hi Marisa, what a delicious looking dessert. I love mascarpone and perfect with pears. I am sure my husband will love this. Thanks for the recipe. Have a great weekend.
Marisa Franca
Hope you start getting the warm weather you want -- I'm anxious to hear about all the wonderful veggies you'll soon be getting.