Poached winter fruits in spiced wine

Name: Poached winter fruits in spiced wine
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 400ml Red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon; 400ml Water; 100g Sugar, caster; 1tsp Vanilla syrup; ½ Cinnamon stick; 1g Pepper, black; 2 Bay leaves; 2 Cloves; 2 slices Lemon, 1mm thick; 2 slices Orange, 1mm thick; 1 Quince, peeled, cored & cut into 4 segments; ¼ Pineapple peeled, trimmed & cut into 4 segments; 1 Cox apple peeled & cut into 4 segments, cored; 1 Ripe pear (Williams preferably), peeled & quartered; 4 Agen Prunes (optional)

A luxurious yet simple treat

Prep 20 minsCook 40 minsServes 4

This recipe demonstrates the technique of poaching fruit. The exchange of flavours produces delicately spiced fruits in an aromatic jus which is delicious served hot or cold.

This recipe is from my cookbook: Kitchen Secrets

Ingredients

For the spiced red wine:

400mlRed wine, Cabernet Sauvignon
400mlWater
100gSugar, caster
1tspVanilla syrup
1/2Cinnamon stick
1gPepper, black
2Bay leaves
2Cloves
2 slicesLemon, 1mm thick
2 slicesOrange, 1mm thick

For the fruits:

1Quince, peeled, cored & cut into 4 segments
1/4Pineapple peeled, trimmed & cut into 4 segments
1Cox apple peeled & cut into 4 segments, cored
1Ripe pear (Williams preferably), peeled & quartered
4Agen Prunes (optional)

Method

1
In a large sauté pan on a high heat, bring the red wine to the boil for approximately 1 minute.
Add the water and all the other ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer.
Add the Quince segments and cook for a total of 25 minutes, barely simmering.
Add the pineapple and apple segments to the quince after 10 minutes, then add the pear and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
Take off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature, add the prunes and refrigerate (if serving cold).
2
To serve: Arrange all the fruits, spices, red wine and cooking juices in a large dish, and serve either hot or cold.

Chef's Tips

“
"My general rule about wine when cooking is not to use expensive wine. I don’t spend more than £4-5 per bottle. I have seen some wonderful expensive Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignons murdered by boiling them! What you are looking for is a deep rich coloured Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Pinot Noir is usually too light and delicate. By boiling the wine, you will remove the bitter alcohol taste and leave the delicate fruity qualities of the wine." "Every recipe in the world tells you to infuse a whole vanilla pod in milk, cream etc., then to be discarded and occasionally washed off and recycled as vanilla sugar. A good vanilla pod will cost you up to £2.50 each. I have found a much better way to use 100% of the pod. It is simple and keeps for as long as you want to. The sugar content will act as a preservative, store in a sealed jar or container in the fridge. Roughly chop together 6 large vanilla pods, removing the hard nib at one end, and puree together with a warm sugar syrup (100ml water and 100g of caster sugar boiled together)." "It is important that while the fruits are poaching, the liquid does not come to a boil; the intensity of the heat will damage the delicate flesh of the fruits." By freezing some of the cooking liquor, you can create a granita (delicate flakes) of iced spiced wine by scraping with a fork. Serve either on top of your chilled fruits or as a little pre-dessert in a small shot glass. Any other seasonally available fruit would be a welcome addition, but make sure to adjust the cooking times for more delicate fruits, such as blackberries, which only need 8 minutes of poaching.

Cooking is always an expression of care and generosity. Enjoy this dish.

Bon appétit!