I was very surprised with how well the poached pears went with my mango passionfruit whipped cream. The flavours complemented each other and made for a very light-tasting dessert. At my bakery, Elaine’s Cake Boutique, the most popular buttercream filling combination is mango passionfruit, so I thought I would incorporate that into my plated dessert. The whipped cream is light and fruity. Great with any summer dessert or with an angel food cake.
I served this with some hot mulled apple cider as the final course in my Thomas Keller Inspired Meal . It was a very pleasant end to the evening.
Summary
Preparation Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Servings: 6
Meal type: Dessert
Grocery Cost: $25 ($4.17/person)
Recipe Rating: 
Ingredients
For Red Wine Poached Pears:
- 6 Bosc Pears ~ $6
- 1 bottle dry red wine ~ $10
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
For Mango Passionfruit Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream ~ $4
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 cup Mango Passionfruit Puree
For Mango Passionfruit Puree:
- 3/4 cup mango cubes ~ $3
For convenience, I often use frozen fruits - 3 tsp Passionfruit Puree ~ $2
- Icing Sugar, to taste
Instructions for Red Wine Poached Pears
1. Peel, halve and core your pears. Try to pick pears with pretty stems. This really enhances your plating presentation. Also, if you want to stand your pears upright later, it is best to also cut the bottoms of each pear so that there is a flat surface for it to sit on.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine wine, sugar, vanilla and spices, and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes or until the liquid has thickened slightly, resembling a fluid syrup.
3. Reduce heat to low and add pear halves. Poach for 8 minutes or until they are very tender but still hold their shape. Remove them from the heat. If required, you can poach the pears in batches.
4. Transfer pears to a large bowl or deep dish and pour the poaching liquid over them.
Allow them to cool to room temperature, turning them occasionally to even out the colouring. The longer the pears remain in the poaching liquid, the more flavour they will absorb and the darker they will become.
Instructions for Mango Passionfruit Whipped Cream
1. Place your clean mixing bowl and whisk attachment into the freezer for 15 minutes. Also, make sure your whipping cream and puree are cold from the refrigerator.
2. Beat whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar at medium speed until soft peaks form (approximately 2 minutes).
3. Add sweetened puree one tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form.
4. Cover and Refrigerate. This can be prepared 8 to 12 hours in advance. Rewhip before serving as the whipped cream will lose its sheen and volume over time.
Instructions for Mango Passionfruit Puree
1. Place mango and passionfruit puree into a food processor and puree.
2. Add icing sugar to desired sweetness.
3. If you have leftovers, this can be frozen up to 3 months. You can use this to flavour all kinds of desserts! This recipe will result in half a cup of puree.
Quick Notes
For the poached pears, you can either leave them for several hours before serving or cover and refrigerate them for the next day. If you wish to serve the pears warm after refrigeration, pour the poaching liquid back into a pan and reheat to a simmer. Add the pears and heat them for 2 to 3 minutes. Pears are best served warm over some poaching liquid and with some light fluffy whipped cream.
If you prefer, you can replace the red wine with white wine or ice wine. I just love the deep red colour of Red Wine Poached Pears, especially for the holiday season.
Result
My guests and I really enjoyed this warm dessert. It was refreshing with the light whipped cream and the perfect end to a heavy meal. This no-fuss dessert will definitely be on another “Dining In” menu very soon!
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