Pêras bêbadas (drunken poached pears) are a great dessert, especially for grown-ups. Like many Portuguese dishes, it uses wine as a main ingredient, which gives it a wide range of flavours.
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 4 pears
- 4 cloves
- 100 ml Port wine (or another liqueur)
- 200 ml red wine
- 200 ml water
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 or 2 strips of lemon (or other citrus) peel
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- Nutmeg, to taste
Instructions
- Peel the pears, keeping the stem, and cut the bottom flat so they stand up.
- Bring the liquids and spices to the boil in a pot. Add the pears, lying down; the liquid should almost cover them. Cover and poach at a gentle boil.
- Test the pears with a fork. When they are soft enough to cut without a knife, take them out.
- Keep the liquid at a gentle boil until it reduces to a third and turns syrupy.
- Serve the pears cold, with the cooled syrup poured over them.
Download the Drunken Poached Pears recipe (PDF)
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