Recipe: Red Wine and Honey-Poached Pears and Plums (stovetop or oven)

RED WINE AND HONEY-POACHED PEARS AND PLUMS

"This is exactly the type of dessert I love - simple flavors, not in-your-face sweet, and full of complex richness without taking too much time to prepare. If you prefer to skip the oven method, simply add the fruit to the honey and red wine in a small saucepan and gently simmer over very low heat on the stovetop. Either way it's a mouthwatering winner."



1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup red wine
1 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise
3 ripe pears
12 ripe plums
Ice cream or whipped cream (optional, for serving)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the honey and red wine together in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, whisking to combine. Remove from the heat. Add the vanilla bean and stir. Allow the vanilla bean to mingle in the wine while you prepare the fruit.

Core the pears and slice 1-inch slices. Cut the plums in half and remove the pits.

Line a 9x11-inch pan with parchment paper, allowing for 4 inches of overhang on all sides. Place the fruit on top of the parchment paper.

Gently pour the red wine mixture, including the vanilla bean, over the fruit. Carefully fold the parchment paper into a packet. I start by folding the top down and then fold the sides up. You can tie them closed, if need be. Essentially what we're doing here is steaming the fruit in red wine. Yes, that's why this is so delicious.

Place the pan in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the fruit is fork-tender, allowing it to gently poach in the liquid. (If you prefer to skip the oven method, simply add the fruit to the honey and red wine in a small saucepan and gently simmer over very low heat on the stovetop.)

Serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, a big dollop of freshly whipped cream, or even by itself with an espresso. One simply cannot go wrong with such a dish.

Makes 4 servings
Adapted from source: Family Table: Farm Cooking from the Elliott Homestead by Shaye Elliott (Lyons Press; April 1, 2018).