Red Wine Poached Pears with Chocolate
Delicious pears in red wine sauce, on a floor of chocolate fondant and soft cashew cheese
Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 3 pears
- 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup stevia powder
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 2 unit cloves
- 2 tbsp vegetable shortening
- 100 g vegan dark chocolate
- 50 g cashews
- 2 tbsp Coconut or Canola Oil
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
- 1. The night before preparing the recipe, place the cashews in a cup of water. Cover them well and let them hydrate at room temperature for at least twelve hours. The next morning, remove excess water and rinse under running water. Reserve to prepare cream cheese.
- 2. Peel the pears, carefully, always keeping the stem. From the bottom of the pear, carefully remove each one's heart from the base, leaving the stems intact. You can do this with a disheartening apples or with a sharp knife. Bathe the pears with lemon juice so that they do not darken, reserve a tablespoon of juice to prepare the vegan cheese.
- 3. Pour 2 cups of water into a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot, add sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves. When the water is boiling add the pears (If the pears are not completely covered with water you can add one more cup of water). Lower the temperature and let it boil for about 15 minutes.
- 4. Meanwhile, prepare vegan cheese. With your food processor, crush the cashews, along with the two tablespoons of neutral oil (I used canola oil) and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Process until obtaining a smooth and homogeneous paste. Add a pinch of salt and reserve.
- 5. Add the red wine to the saucepan and stir, verify that all pears are bathed in syrup; if not, turn them gently with a rubber spoon to prevent them from breaking. Cook them for another 10 to 15 minutes, bathe them constantly with syrup. Turn off and let stand a few minutes.
- 6. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 5 seconds along with the two tablespoons of coconut oil and stevia. Mix very well.
- 7. To serve, pour the melted chocolate at the base of the dish where you place the pears, put a pear, bathe them in red wine syrup and accompany with a spoonful of vegan cheese. If you wish you can decorate the pears with mint leaves.
Notes
To make this recipe the best are bell-shaped pears, of a variety with tender and juicy meat, such as Bartletto or Abate Fetel, firm to resist cooking. For decoration, select pears that still have the stem.