Chocolate and Red Wine Poached Pears

this Recipe

Made this dessert for my sweetie on Valentine’s Day. Wine poached pears stuffed with walnuts and chocolate, tied up in phyllo dough. It’s like a mini pear pie!

Ingredients for 2 pears:

2 pears
2 tbsp. walnuts, chopped
3 tbsp. chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips, chopped
6 sheets phyllo dough
4 tbsp. earth balance butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar

Poaching liquid:
1 cup red wine or port
1 cup orange juice
1 cup water
2 tbsp. cinnamon
2 cardamon pods
1 tsp. ginger, chopped

Peel and core the pears. If a stem is attached, try to keep the stem intact for presentation. Bring poaching liquid to a boil. Add the pears, adding more water if needed to cover the pears. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and poach for 10-15 minutes until pears are tender. Remove pears, set aside the liquid. (I prepared this step a day before and placed the pears with the liquid in the fridge until I was ready to assemble the following night. Worked great! )

Mix together the chopped walnuts and chocolate. Divide in half and stuff into the core of the pears. On a clean, dry surface, place 1 sheet phyllo dough. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle a generous pinch of sugar. Add another layer of phyllo dough, brush with melted butter and sprinkle sugar. Continue to layer until all the phyllo dough is used.

Divide the dough in 1/2. Place 1 pear, base side down on the center of the phyllo. Start with one corner of the dough and wrap up the side of the pear. Twist the excess dough or pinch off. Brush any remaining butter on the outside of the pear and lightly sprinkle with sugar.

When ready to serve, place the reserved poaching liquid in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook 20-25 minutes until it forms a syrup. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Place syrup on the bottom of a serving plate, top with the baked pear and drizzle more syrup on top.

How was your Valentine’s Day?

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