Marsala Poached Pears

Bosc pears poached in Marsala wine with star anise, cinnamon, and cloves.

poached pears in marsala
Elise Bauer

Don't you just love it when you put something together on a whim, and it works out the first time?

My friend Garrett had a few extra pears from a baking adventure which I decided to poach in Marsala wine, with some sugar, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves.

Star anise has a strong licorice flavor, so I was a little worried my poached pears would end up tasting like Good-n-Plenty. Fortunately, the other spices rose to the occasion and along with the Marsala infused the pears with a happy, spicy, delicious aroma.

Marsala Poached Pears

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Servings 4 servings

Firm, just ripe pears should be used. If overly ripe, the pears will cook up mushy. If Bosc pears are not available, Bartlett or Anjou can be substituted. You can core the pears if you wish, from the bottom, but it really is not necessary.

Ingredients

  • 4 bosc pears, peeled, stem still attached, 1/4-inch of bottom sliced off so pears can easily sit upright

  • 1 cup dry Marsala wine (or Madeira)

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1/3 cup white sugar

  • 1/2 star anise

  • 4 cloves

  • 1/2 stick cinnamon

Method

  1. Make the spiced marsala syrup:

    In a saucepan just large enough to fit all of the pears, place the Marsala wine, sugar, lemon juice, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil.

  2. Poach the pears in the syrup:

    Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and place the pears in the pan, standing upright. Cover the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes (if you want, baste with the liquid a couple of times during the cooking), until the pears can easily be pierced with a fork.

    how to poach pears
    Elise Bauer

    Very firm pears make need to cook for up to 20 minutes.

    Once poached, remove the pears to a serving dish.

  3. Boil down the syrup until it becomes a glaze:

    Keeping the pan uncovered, let the Marsala syrup boil down for a few minutes until it is a thick syrup. (If it begins to caramelize, remove pan from the heat and add a little water to the pan to stop the cooking.)

  4. Pour syrup over pears and serve
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
216 Calories
0g Fat
50g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 216
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 370mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 50g 18%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Total Sugars 36g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 6mg 29%
Calcium 29mg 2%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 283mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.