Pears Poached in Red Wine

poached pears red wine boston globe

Pears poached in red wine

I’ve probably sat many times in front of my computer carrying sleeping Lulu in a sling — right now, she is snoring — in the hope to be able to share with you recipes, like a few lovely homey desserts I’ve managed to prepare (I wonder how!), and savory dishes to keep us healthily energized.

The thing is, though, that I’ve never managed to finish on the project of writing even a complete story. Yes, Lulu keeps us that busy. She is so little and needs so much, but she is our little doll. What was it like before again?

So, in the hope to keep you waiting (pretty please!), I still have something for you today. A dessert recipe, poached pears in red wine, which I wrote for the Boston Globe Food Section — I am so glad I did it a while ago, before the arrival of Lulu. Very simple to make. Lovely on your table. Flavorful, colorful, bound to turn most people into loving pears.

Non ?

Let’s talk very soon, shall we?

Posted in Dessert, Fruit, Gluten Free

49 comments

  1. I love to read your posts, look at your photos, and salivate over your recipes. They are always inspiring. Enjoy your new little one, and don’t worry about the blog readers. We’ll be here when you’re ready for us, but those precious moments with your daughter are fleeting. Savor them!

  2. My Beloved and I, when we are bordering on overwhelm, say to each other, “We get the important stuff done.” You’re getting the important stuff done, now, with Lulu. But, thanks for the poached pears while she naps!

  3. Thanks for the great dessert. Little Lulu is such a cutie, you will have lots of time to cook, and blog, when she is a little older,,

    A new granddaughter came into our lives on 9th December, weighing in at 9lb 5oz, she is a cutie as well. I loved Lulu’s wrap you had her in for the first photo. just wondering where you got it from.

  4. I do not expect any less than you taking care and enjoying Lulu to the fullest. She is a blessing, a tiny miracle of the love between you two. Please, enjoy her to the fullest because they do grow fast!…I know I would!

  5. yes, they do need a lot and it’s miraculous that you manage to work while taking care of her. That is fantastic! i used to carry jon around in a sling everywhere until he was 6 months old. he lived in that little cocoon. you must be in heaven. lovely and homey dessert bea!

  6. Of course. This was expected. I’m a mom for 2 kids and I know how it is, and understand completely. Family is number one! And kids are very demanding. But they fill you with energy and joy like no other thing on the planet. They are what keep us young and happy and so alive.
    I admire your work and your blog and it inspires me to learn and to make my life more beautiful.
    (Oh, I feel like crying).
    Life is never be the same after you become a parent and it might take some time to figure out the new routine for work-family and find a balance between the two. Lulu will be very proud of her very talented mom. Don’t worry if you can’t post as you used to. We will still be here waiting patiently.

  7. Enjoy your days with Lilu, we will still be here when you have a bit more time! Love the recipe, will try it for our next dinner party!
    Merci!

  8. Vive la simplicite! (I still can’t make this thing do accents.) Poached pears are a great dessert–a little yogurt on top and it’s pure heaven. Well, the baby’s much closer to heaven–but poached pears is about as close as I can get

  9. Enjoy your little Lulu, we’ll be right here waiting when you have time to blog more. She needs you so much more than we do, so don’t feel guilty about not posting more. Thanks for the poached pears recipe, it looks delicious!

  10. I enjoy the texture on the pear–from peeling. It is so endearing to see the detail. Lovely.

  11. Béa, yes, I agree with the others, family first. Thanks so much for the pears, really lovely.

  12. The pears are gorgeous!
    I poached pears in white wine a while back and have been eager to try red because the colour is stunning.

  13. wow… and you still manage to post? that’s awesome. thank you for your lovely posts and stories. i always look forward to reading them. enjoy your little bundle of joy.

  14. It’s fun to poach fruits in fuller-bodied red wine, too — Cotes du Rhone, Zinfandel, something from Languedoc-Roussillon — and add a few savory spices instead — a few black peppercorns, a bay leaf. These flavors work particularly well for poaching dried Black Mission figs. And after the pears are poached, I sometimes core them with a melon-baller, and fill the resulting hollowed-out space with some fresh goat cheese that has been thinned with a bit of cream or crème fraiche.

  15. Those pears look absolutely stunning. The image can be taken as is and used as the cover for a classic French cookbook. The first time I poached pears, I used Riesling, they came out delectably delicious. For your recipe, I would recommend to everybody to leave them in the refrigerator for 1-3 full days to allow the wine’s flavor to permeate deeply into the pears. Thanks for another great post.

  16. Wow, I was just thinking how busy you must have been, sine we haven’t heard from you in a while… Beautiful pears, enjoy every moment with Lulu, all parents say that babies grow up too fast!

  17. savour every minute you have with your precious lulu. you have the rest of your life to cook and write, but you will never have this time again!

  18. Poached pears are one of my favorite things to look at. They are so beautiful and taste even more so. Congratulations on your new daughter and thank you for stopping by with a little treat for us.

  19. Bonjour Bea, j’ai eu mon bebe en meme temps que toi mais le mien est arrive avec deux mois d’avance. En couveuse depuis, le voila qi est maintenant pret a sortir. Quand je pense que j’ai fait ma baby shower liste a Babiesrus! Je decouvre sur ton site tous ces liens pour baby stuff a tomber. Si j’avais su…
    Merci pour la tartine gourmande dont le titre me met l’eau a la bouche. Moi qui suis de l’autre cote de la camera (agent de photographe), je suis completement en admiration devant la consistance de ton travail (blog, photo, vie perso). Tu m’inspires. Merci.
    Toutes mes felicitations pour l’arrivee de bebe Lulu (tu prononces Lulu ou Loulou?).
    Elle est craquante.
    Continue les videos. C’est genial.

  20. Happy New Year, what an amazing January you must be having in the cold and snow with your new beautiful Lulu and those lovely pears. I really enjoy receiving your blog you are amazing. Lulu is amazing.

  21. Hi Bea,

    You take the most beautiful pictures!! Your pictures inspire me to cook and really drills in me that life is too short to eat bad food.

    Lulu looks like an angel. Enjoy every minute with her–time is fleeting; she’ll be crawling before you know it.

  22. Beautiful photo and I will definately make the poached pears! Kisses to Lulu…she is so beautiful.

  23. Congratulations on your new baby–I love your blog–
    Happy New Year (belated)

  24. Many many thanks everyone. Yes time is no longer the same, and I feel lucky to be able to appreciate such a joy with our little one, despite the new adjustments (that include short nights!)
    Anne, Lulu’s wrap is a swaddling blanket from JJ Cole. 😉

  25. Bea…

    Many congratulations!!! I have checked in from time to time to get updates on the new one. I myself have 2, the first is 5 and the second is 1 (both blue eyed, blonds – I am in big trouble). I am glad you posted on the pears, I have been looking for a new recipe. How will this work with Asian pears?

  26. Oh, what a wonderful dessert for cold winter evenings! Beautiful photo, too…as always 😉

  27. i discovered your wonderful website today and am awestruck with the breathtaking imagery and amazing recipes so much so that when i was going through them i could actually get a faint aroma of the dish!!

  28. I stepped by your blog regularily and thought for myself: hm, no new post…she must be busy with Lulu.
    Enjoy your time with llittle Lulu.

  29. Bea–I just saw that you are in the running for the Well Fed Networks Best Blog for Photography! Congrats! IFor your other faithful readers, the main site is here … then you just go down to Vote: Best Food Blog Photography.

    http://wellfed.net/2009/01/20/voting-polls-open-2008-food-blog-awards/

    This is turning out to be a wonderful year for you, Bea. 🙂 Hope you and little LuLu are doing well!

    Best,
    Shirley

    http://wellfed.net/2009/01/20/voting-polls-open-2008-food-blog-awards/

  30. Vos photos sont vraiment très jolies. We just came upon your blog and are astounded by the gorgeous photography. And food too. 🙂 We will be sure to keep checking in. This recipe by the way looks fantastique!

  31. I’m so happy that you are enjoying motherhood. My eldest son turns 22 years old next week – I can’t believe how fast it went. I’m sure you will do lots of family dinners – children learn so much from watching parents eat their vegetables, enjoy their food, and conversation – not to mention good table manners.

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