Posts Tagged ‘Wine’

I can’t resist using punny titles.  Maybe I’m tipsy from the poached pear I had for dessert last night.  Once again, Autumn’s bounty provides me with ample opportunities to whip up delicious, somewhat-healthy desserts.

Poached Bosc Pear

The great thing about a poached pear is the versatility.  You can poach them in whatever you like: liqueur, wine, bourbon, etc.  I had a couple of bottles of Sauternes, which is a dessert wine.  It makes for some mighty tasty poached pears!

INGREDIENTS:

750 ml of Sauternes (Riesling and Viognier work well too)

1 cup water

5 oz. (by weight) of vanilla sugar

1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped

4 firm Bosc pears, peeled with stem intact (Anjou or Bartlett pears will do)

DIRECTIONS:

Place the Sauternes, water, sugar and vanilla bean and pulp into a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Core the pears from the bottom. Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the pears are tender but not falling apart. Maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pears to a serving dish, standing them upright, and place in the refrigerator.

Remove the vanilla bean from the saucepan, increase the heat to high and reduce the syrup to approximately 1 cup of liquid, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Do not allow the syrup to turn brown. Place the syrup in a heatproof container and place in the refrigerator until cool, approximately 1 hour.

Remove the pears from the refrigerator, spoon the sauce over the pears and serve.

I have one.  In fact, I would say the gallery porches on my house are what sold it for me and the Mister.  They are absolutely perfect for a day like today.  We have plenty o’ shade and some outdoor ceiling fans, so when it’s 90° F we head out to the upper gallery for a respite.

Upper Gallery Porch

It’s almost like sitting in a tree house since it’s so high off the ground!  One of my major challenges is keeping squirrels from building in those hanging plants.  For some crazy reason, they prefer to nest in my hanging baskets instead of the hundreds of trees at their disposal.  Furry little menaces, they are, but squirrel babies are extremely cute.

The other end of my upper gallery is blank for the moment.  It’s off the second master/guest suite/workout room, and I know what I want to do there.  It’s been empty for a few years while I wait on my dream purchase.

The Empty Side of the Gallery

It’s absolutely begging for a hanging daybed swing.  I would love to have a Charleston Bed Swing from the Outer Banks Trading Group.  They are a local company in NC, and I love buying local stuff whenever possible.  Heck, they are just right around the corner from me in Apex, NC, but it will have to wait until I can save some money.  It’s not a cheap splurge at $2800 for just the swing, not including any cushions or covers!

Daybed Swing

Doesn’t that look like heaven?  I’m picturing myself lounging there with my Kindle and a nice glass of my favorite summer porch wine: Chateau Bonnet Blanc, a nice crisp white blend.  Hey, at least the wine isn’t expensive, at only $10 or so per bottle.

My Favorite Porch Wine

What’s your favorite summer lounging spot?