Pears poached in red wine & cinnamon
Whole pears gently poached in red wine with cinnamon and orange peel until glossy and ruby red — most of the alcohol cooks off, leaving a warming, bistro-style dessert.
- 45 min
- Serves 4
- Poach
- Easy
Why it suits you: Blood Stasis shows up as a dull complexion, cold hands and feet, period pain or easy bruising. As Frost's Descent turns colder, circulation slows further. Red wine and cinnamon warm and open the vessels while pear moistens autumn dryness — warming without overheating, and one pear each makes a lovely afternoon treat.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 35 min- 1Peel the pears, keeping the stalks, and slice a little off the bottoms so they stand upright.
- 2Put the wine, water, rock sugar, cinnamon, star anise and orange peel in a small pan and bring to the boil over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
- 3Add the pears — the liquid should come most of the way up. Cover and simmer for 25–30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes for even colour, until a chopstick slides in easily.
- 4Lift out the pears and boil the wine hard until syrupy, then spoon it over. Left to soak overnight, they turn deeper in colour and flavour.
Cautions
- Some alcohol remains after cooking — not for pregnant women, children, drivers or anyone avoiding alcohol. Skip it during heavy periods.
Chef's tips
- Choose firm snow pears or Bosc pears so they hold their shape. Leftover wine syrup is lovely spooned over yoghurt.
The TCM view
Red wine is sweet, pungent and warm, invigorating the blood and dispelling cold. Cinnamon is pungent, sweet and very hot, warming the channels and easing pain. Star anise is pungent and warm, warming yang and moving qi. Pear is sweet, slightly sour and cool, moistening the lungs and balancing the heat of the wine and spices. Warming overall, it gets the blood moving without drying.
