Rosato Poached Coscia Pears

Marta from Mangiare è un po'come viaggiare is hosting both the English and Italian editions of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have an adorable, tiny pear from Sicily called Pere Coscia - Coscia Pears



These are just a little larger than the Paradise Pears I found in Australia but I would say they are just as cute.

One of the more traditional things to do with pears in Piemonte is to poach them in red wine but as these are only small I'll be using a local Rosato wine instead of a full-bodied red.


Rosato Poached Coscia Pears

1kg coscia pears, peeled
2 cups Intrigo (Rosato wine)
1 cup water
100 grams raw sugar
You need to use a pot that will snugly hold the pears in one layer so that they poach evenly

The wine I've used is this: Rigo Intrigo


It is a blend of 70% nebbiolo and 30% barbera from nearby Diano d'Alba. Fermented like a white wine without its skin, it has a delicate colouring and a lovely floral nose with hints of violet.

Place the wine, water and sugar into a pot and place on a low heat - stir until the sugar has dissolved and simmer for a couple of minutes to let some of the alcohol evaporate.

Place the pears carefully into the poaching liquid and cover with a sheet of baking paper as shown below.


This ensures that the pears stay under the poaching liquid. Let the pears simmer for about 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. The pears won't be completely cooked yet but as they cool in the liquid they will just soften through to the center. The added bonus of doing it this way is that the wine will better colour the pears.

Once cooled, they are ready to eat.