Red Wine Poached Pears with Rice Pudding

This dessert certainly catches your eye and is as delicious as it looks. Rice pudding recipes have been around since Medieval and Roman times, when boiled rice and milk porridge were associated with easy digestion and good nutrition.

Serves 4
recipe adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller
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For the rice pudding:
125ml (1/2 cup) short grain rice (Italian style such as Arborio)
1L (4 cups) whole milk
75ml (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
75ml (1/3 cup) sultana raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Red Wine Poached Pears:
500ml red wine such as merlot
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 strips of lemon rind
4 pears

In a large heavy saucepan, combine rice, milk, sugar and salt. Bring just to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to very low, add raisins and cinnamon stick, cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally for about 50 minutes or until rice is very tender and pudding is thickened and creamy (it will thicken more as it cools). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let stand, uncovered until just warm, stirring occasionally. The pudding may also be served chilled. Spoon into dessert dishes and sprinkle with cinnamon.

For the poached pears, combine all ingredients except pears in a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Peel pears and leave stems intact. Add pears to saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until pears are tender. Remove from heat and cool in liquid. When pears are cool, remove from liquid, bring liquid to a boil and boil until it is reduced by half and syrupy. Cool. Pour a little of the syrup over each pear and serve with a spoonful of rice pudding.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Wow! A relatively easy dessert to make. Make sure the wine coats the pears as they cook for even coloring. As the wine reduces it turns into a gorgeous syrup and a perfect pairing with the fragrant pears. For the rice pudding, add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamon instead of cinnamon for a different spice flavoring.  Enjoy!

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