Red Wine Poached Pears Slow Cooker Recipe

 

These aren't beets. They're pears that have been soaked in wine, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.

AND THEY ARE AWESOME.

for grown-ups. not for kids.

My mom's friend Carol sent me this recipe, after tasting them at an Inn in Napa, California. I can't get over how easy they were to make, and am slightly kicking myself for not making them earlier (read: before this last baby) when were entertaining much more often.

If you're looking for a dessert for New Year's Eve--this is it. Easy Fancy (again!).

The Ingredients.

serves 6

2 (29-ounce) cans pear halves (I like it that the recipe calls for canned pear halves. They are found year-round, are terribly inexpensive, and you don't have to peel anything. If you'd prefer to use "real" ones, try 6 peeled and cored pears)

1 (750-ml) bottle red wine (I used an inexpensive merlot)

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

6 tablespoons sweetened whipped cream (for garnish, after cooking)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Drain pears, and plop them into your empty crock. Add the entire bottle of wine (if you are wearing a new white blouse, it'd be a good idea to put on an apron. grrr.). Stir in the sugar, being careful to not break up the pear halves. Add vanilla, and float the cinnamon stick and star anise on top. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or on high for about 2.

Serve warm in bowls with a large dollop of whipped cream.

The Verdict.

This certainly is a dessert that will warm you up on a cold night. The alcohol DOES NOT COOK AWAY.

Please eat responsibly! :-)

The sugar and vanilla really cut through the harsh bite you sometimes get with red wine--feel free to use an inexpensive table wine (not cooking wine, something you'd drink). 

Thank you, Carol, for getting this recipe for us----it's wonderful.

I have a Holiday Pear (no alcohol) recipe coming up in the next day or two---I just need to find my notes.

other stuff:

I have another Visa GiftCard for $100 to give away over on Totally Together Reviews. This is the 3rd out of 4 total.

also, my friend Diane's son may have Lyme disease---he was diagnosed last week. She is understandably quite shaken and is gathering as much information as possible. If you happen to know anything about Lyme Disease, will you email me at crockpotlady@gmail.com so I can forward the info on to her?

Thank you so much.

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Slow Cooker Brandy Spiced Peaches Recipe

You've been good. Really good. I can tell.

Rummage through your pantry cabinets and dig out a few cans of neglected peach slices and bottle of brandy. This is a good one!

The Ingredients.

serves 8

slightly blurry photo. I blame the brandy.

2 (15-ounce) cans peach slices

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

1/4 cup brandy

whipped cream (optional garnish--I like the stuff in a can, but you can of course make your own)

The Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Combine all the ingredients except for the brandy and whipped cream. Don't drain the peaches---pour the entire cans in. Cook on low for 4 hours. Remove from heat, and stir in the brandy. Pour all of this into a sealed plastic container and refrigerate for 48 hours (it's worth the wait, I promise!), then remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves.

Dish into serving bowls and dollop with whipped cream.

The Verdict.

This is my mom's friend, Carol's dessert recipe. Carol shared that she used to make it with peach halves but there was too much "slipping and sliding" with the halves, so she switched to slices. I LOVED the flavor---rich, and sophisticated. The brandy is in there, and you can taste it. This is definitely not a dessert for children---eat it all yourself!

The Cuisinart slow cooker giveaway is over, and the winners have been notified. If you haven't heard from me, you didn't win. I'm sorry. I do have more fun things I'm working on, though!

Happy 12th day of Crocktober!

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CrockPot Cherries Jubilee

Day 349.

I am still having photo uploading issues. I'm working on it, and fingers are crossed that in a few hours everything will be good to go.

I wasn't planning on making Cherries Jubilee yesterday, but the kids and I were watching a Paula Deen episode and she made some. Adam was already at the grocery store (buying duck! ack!) so we called him and had him bring home some canned cherries. It's a good thing, too, because the ducks were so frozen they bounced on the kitchen counter.

The Ingredients.

2 T butter, melted
1 T cornstarch
2 (15-ounce) cans pitted black cherries in heavy syrup, but NOT pie filling
2 T white sugar
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup brandy (optional)
vanilla ice cream

The Directions.

I used a 1 quart crockpot. Melt butter in the microwave, and whisk in cornstarch until it's completely dissolved. Drain cans of cherries, and add to crockpot. Pour in cornstarch mixture. Add sugar and lemon zest. No need to stir. If you're going to add the brandy, do so now.

Cook on high for 2 hours, and serve hot over vanilla ice cream. Paula lit her cherries jubilee on fire to burn off the alcohol. I tried to do that, but it didn't work, and I ended up getting cherry juice all over my long wand-lighter thingy and now it doesn't ignite. I wouldn't put the brandy in if you are going to serve to small children.

The Verdict.

This was a fun dessert. I made two batches, one with and one without the brandy. The brandy one tastes like it has brandy in it, and I liked the plain one better. I wish the fire part would have worked, that would have been cool.

I'm off to skin a duck.

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