While apples, pumpkins, and squash are the stars of autumn, pears seem to be one of the most overlooked harvests of the season. I picked up a bunch of Bartlett pears over the weekend and decided to try out a recipe for poached pears I’ve been meaning to make since last winter

This recipe calls for poaching the pears in a mixture of red wine, pomegranate juice, and a variety of spices, and it’s an easy dessert to make while you’re running around the kitchen or apartment doing other things. Once the pears are in the pot and simmering, they just require an occasional turn. Also, the syrupy sauce that results from boiling down the poaching liquid once the pears are done is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted over vanilla ice cream. I now have a tupperware container full of it in my fridge and I don’t see it lasting through the end of the week

I discovered this pear recipe on the blog of Zoe Francois, the co-author of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day who is also a very talented pastry and dessert chef. You can find the full recipe for Drunken Pears here with instructional photos, but I’ve posted some photos of my poaching adventure this evening below.

Pears poaching

Fully Poached

Pears, ice cream, and the fabulous pomegranate and red wine sauce