Marsala-baked pears with grapes

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This vibrant combination of pears and grapes baked in a sweet Marsala wine syrup couldn't be simpler to prepare. A fantastic Italian dessert to serve around Christmas that's enriched with the flavours of cinnamon and vanilla.

First published in 2018

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 100ml of Marsala wine
  • 2 tbsp of sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 vanilla pod, split down the middle
  • 3 pears
  • 1 bunch of red grapes, small

Method

1
Preheat an oven to 175°C/gas mark 4
2
Make a syrup by placing the Marsala in a small pan with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the vanilla pod and the cinnamon stick. Heat and reduce by half – the consistency should be thick and viscous. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside, discarding the cinnamon and vanilla
3
Peel and halve the pears, then scoop out the cores. Sprinkle the cut sides with the remaining sugar and place cut-side down in a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat
4
Once nice and coloured, transfer the pears to a baking dish with the grapes and drizzle over the syrup. Place in the oven for 20–25 minutes or until the pears are nice and soft. Halfway through cooking, baste the pears with the syrup and grape juices
5
Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of mascarpone

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