Pêras bêbedas (Portuguese drunken pears)
Firm pears simmered in spiced red wine until deep ruby, with a thick syrup to spoon over.
- Time1 hr
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £1.25 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Choose a deep pan just big enough to hold the pears upright. Add the wine, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and lemon zest and heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
- 2
Stand the peeled pears in the pan. Add a little water if they are not mostly covered.
- 3
Cover and simmer very gently for 25 to 30 minutes, turning the pears every 10 minutes, until a knife slides in easily.
27 min 30 s - 4
Lift the pears into a serving dish. Boil the wine hard for 10 to 15 minutes until reduced to a glossy syrup that coats a spoon.
12 min 30 s - 5
Pour the syrup over the pears. Serve warm or cold.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
