Wine-Poached Pears with chocolate sauce & pistachios

Desserts

Wine-Poached Pears with chocolate sauce & pistachios

Why not dine as the Italians do, and say si to dessert? A combination of health-promoting ingredients, like fruit, dark chocolate, and nuts, can make dessert nutritious and magnifico!

The Italians are responsible for bringing us such irresistible sweet treats as tiramisù and zabaglione, but these usually are reserved for special occasions. The rest of the time, a bit of cheese, a piece of fruit, or a small morsel of chocolate suffices to end a meal.

Our healthful dessert is deceptively luscious, combining two everyday Italian favorites — pears and chocolate — with yet another Italian classic, red wine. Laced with honey and spices, the wine infuses the pears with flavor.

Makes

6 servings

Total Time

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Ingredients

FOR THE PEARS

FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Test Kitchen Tips

Slightly underripe fruit will hold up best during poaching.

This dessert improves when made ahead. Poach the pears, then chill them right in the poaching liquid for even more red-wine flavor. Make the chocolate sauce ahead, too, then warm it at serving time.

Instructions

Combine wine, water, honey, lemon peel, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for the poaching liquid in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer mixture for 5 minutes.

Peel pears, leaving stem intact. Slice bottom off pears so pears stand upright.

Place pears upright in the pot with the poaching liquid; cover pot. Simmer pears, turning them often to infuse them with the liquid, until pears are soft, 2025 minutes. Let pears cool in the pot; remove with a slotted spoon when ready to serve.

Simmer milk and corn syrup for the chocolate sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place chocolate chips in a bowl. Pour milk mixture over chocolate. Stir until chocolate begins to melt, 23 minutes. Heat chocolate mixture in a microwave oven on high heat for 30 seconds to finish melting chocolate.

To serve, pour some of the chocolate sauce onto the bottom of a platter. Arrange poached pears on top of chocolate sauce. Drizzle some of the poaching liquid over each pear; garnish with pistachios. Serve pears with the remaining chocolate sauce on the side.

Nutritional Facts

Nutritional Facts

Per serving

Calories: 351

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12g 18%

Cholesterol 2mg 0%

Sodium 16mg 0%

Carbs 56g 18%

Protein 5g

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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