Spicy Poached Pears with Sorbet and Blackberries
Spicy Poached Pears with Sorbet and Blackberries is the most requested dessert I make — and it's easy to see why. Firm pears are gently poached in a light red wine syrup infused with chilli, ginger, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon, then served with juicy blackberries and a scoop of refreshing pear or blackberry sorbet. The result is a sophisticated balance of warm spice, sweet fruit, and bright berry tang that looks every bit as impressive as it tastes.
Best of all, this dessert can be prepared well in advance, making it perfect for serving large groups without last-minute stress. With just 15 minutes of preparation and 10–15 minutes of cooking, it serves six — and can even be paired with a good quality shop-bought sorbet if you're short on time. For the full step-by-step recipe, visit our dedicated recipe page and make this crowd-pleasing dessert your own!
Cook: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients
Poaching Syrup
- 750ml light red wine
- 500g caster sugar
- 1 red chilli
- 2cm piece of fresh ginger
- 3 star anise
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
Pears
- 6 pears, peeled
Blackberries
- 200-250g blackberries
To Serve
Method
- Poaching Syrup: Place the red wine, caster sugar, cinnamon stick, chilies, star anise, ginger and cardamom pods in a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Leave it to simmer for 15 minutes so that the flavours are infused.
- Pears: Place the pears in the simmering liquid and reduce the temperature to just a simmer and leave them to cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave it to cool. Store the pears in a sealed container with a little of the cooking liquid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Blackberries: Take 350ml of the pear poaching syrup and place it in a saucepan over a high heat. Bring the syrup to the boil then remove it from the heat. Place the blackberries in the syrup and allow them to cool in it. Place the blackberries with the syrup in a sealed container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- To Serve: Carefully slice the pears in half and decore them with a small knife or large melon baller. Place 2 halves in eahc serving bowl. Pour the blackberries with the syrup around the pears. Place a scoop of pear or lemon sorbet in the centre of one half of each pear where you have removed the core (a melon baller can be used as a scoop). Place a scoop of blackberry sorbet or red sorbet of your choice in the centre of the other half pear. Serve at once.
Recipe
