Red Wine Poached Pear Galette

Spiced red wine poached pears really come into their own in this beautiful free-form tart. A layer of dark chocolate between the pears and pastry acts as a clever barrier to keep the base crisp — no soggy bottoms here. It looks impressive, tastes extraordinary, and most of the work can be done the day before. This is the kind of pudding that earns you serious compliments with surprisingly little stress.

Ingredients

For the pears

• 750ml full-bodied red wine
• 237ml water
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 10cm
• 5 firm pears (Conference, Williams or Comice), peeled, halved, stalks and cores removed

For the galette

• Plain flour, for dusting
• 1 quantity shop-bought or homemade shortcrust pastry (enough for a 23cm pie)
• 115g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 55g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water (egg wash)
• 1–2 tbsp demerara sugar

Equipment

• Pizza stone
• Pizza peel or rimless baking tray

Method

1. Poach the pears: Pour the red wine and water into a large saucepan, add the sugar, star anise and cinnamon stick, and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, add the pear halves and cook for about 15 minutes, until just barely tender when pierced with a knife. Leave the pears to cool in the liquid, then lift them out and set aside. The pears can be prepared a day ahead and kept in the fridge.
2. Make the syrup: Remove the spices from the pan, turn the heat up to high and reduce the liquid until you have about 237ml of syrup — this takes 20–25 minutes. Pour into a heatproof container and refrigerate until cool.
3. Prepare the grill: Set up your gas grill for indirect cooking at 180–200°C, with the pizza stone positioned over the unlit burner(s). Let the stone heat up for 15–20 minutes with the lid closed. There should be no direct flame under the stone.
4. Assemble the galette: Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a rough circle about 35cm across. Carefully transfer it to a lightly floured pizza peel or rimless baking tray. Scatter the chopped chocolate evenly over the pastry, leaving a clear 5cm border around the edge.
5. Fan the pears: Slice each pear half lengthways as thinly as you can, keeping the slices together so the shape stays intact. Arrange nine of the pear halves over the chocolate, giving each a gentle press to fan the slices open. Use the remaining pear to fill any gaps in the centre. Dot the butter evenly over the pears.
6. Fold and finish: Fold the pastry border up and over the edge of the pears, pleating it as you go to create a rustic rim. Brush the pastry all over with egg wash, then scatter demerara sugar over the whole tart — pastry and pears alike.
7. Bake on the grill: Slide the galette from the peel or tray onto the preheated pizza stone. Close the lid and bake for 35–45 minutes, until the pastry is a deep golden brown. Keep an eye on it from about the 30-minute mark — every grill runs slightly differently.
8. Serve: Allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature with a generous spoonful of the chilled red wine syrup drizzled over. Or whip some double cream until it just starts to thicken, fold in a couple of tablespoons of the red wine syrup, and finish whipping — an absolutely gorgeous topping.

Originally published by Bull BBQ. Adapted for UK audiences by Cedar Kitchen in the Garden.