Dutch Stoofperen
A Stunning Holiday Favourite
If you’ve never had Dutch stoofperen, you’ve been missing out on one of the most exquisite (and easy) dishes of the traditional Dutch cuisine.
Vegan | GF | Soy-free | Nut-free | No rice
Stoofperen, best translated as stewed pears, are made from the small, hard pears called Gieser Wildeman, a Dutch cultivar dating back to around 1850. I love them so much, I always start looking for them as soon as September rolls around.
They cannot be eaten raw, but have to be cooked for at least 3 hours, but once they are fully cooked, they will have taken on a gorgeous deep-red colour. But if you think that makes them unsuitable for Spoonie cooking, you couldn’t be more mistaken. All you need is a slow cooker.
And 6 small, hard pears, of course.
Dutch stewed Pears Nostalgia
Growing up in a poor Dutch 1960’s household, spiced stewed pears were a luxury: life was expensive, my dad’s wages were low, and my mum’s working days were over the moment my older sister was born.
Pudding was usually yoghurt or custard: cheap fare in a country that was home to probably just as many cows as people. (OK, I might be exaggerating a little here, but we certainly have a lot of cows—and a manure problem to prove it.)
Spiced stewed pears were not cheap. And since they needed this really long cooking time, preparation wasn’t cheap either. Because of this, my mum didn’t make them often. Both my grandmothers, however, made them regularly during the short time they were available. When we visited them on Sundays after church, they’d serve them for dessert after lunch, which was, by the way, the main meal on Sundays.
What You Need to Make Dutch Stewed Pears
Dutch stewed pears are ridiculously easy to make, and you only need a handful of ingredients, all of which you probably already have in your pantry anyway.
Admittedly, you may not have any Gieser Wildeman pears on hand (and they might, indeed, be hard to come by outside of the Netherlands) but truly, any firm pear will do. The Bosc, Anjou, or Concorde might be your best bets. Though they may not turn red all by themselves, that’s not a problem with this recipe, because…
You will need a bottle of red wine—or red grape juice if you prefer an alcohol-free version. That bottle of plonk your teetotaller great-aunt gave you last Chrismtas? It’s perfect for Dutch stoofperen! No need to spend a lot of good money on a fine wine. You won’t taste the difference. Trust me.
The only other ingredients you’ll need are water (optional) and some warming spices—unless you’re using that cheap gluhwein from the BOGOF offer at your local supermarket. Then you won’t even need any additional spices.
Now, if you have a particularly sweet tooth, you could throw in some sugar (I never do), and if you want to go really fancy, you could add a small strip of lemon or orange peel.
See? Told you it was easy.
Variations
While Dutch stoofperen is a pretty simple dish, there’s lots you can do with it. I like to poach my pears in red wine, but you can easily make it completely alcohol free using red grape juice, pomegranate juice, elderberry juice, or even plain water, a few spoonfuls of sugar, and a splash of vanilla extract for caramelised stewed pears.
Another way to switch things up is by playing with the spices: cinnamon and cloves are just as warming as cinnamon and star anise, but the taste profile is markedly different. You could even use pumpkin spice for Halloween spiced stewed pears.
Serving Suggestions
Dutch stewed pears are lovely served warm with a little of their syrup drizzled on top. But there’s no rule saying you can’t dress them up and turn this festive dessert from simply delicious into absolutely irresistible.
You could place them on a bed of your favourite (plant-based) vanilla custard or yoghurt, or with a scoop of ice cream, and a generous helping of squirtie cream.
If you want a real showstopper, you could even flambé them. Wouldn’t that be something?
That said, they’re also a great addition to a breakfast of yoghurt and muesli—and that’s how I have my spiced stewed pears most often.
My Stewed Pears Failure
This is embarrassing, but… I actually managed to burn an entire pan of stewed pears once. This was back in the early nineties, long before my slow cooker days. In fact, I’d never even heard of the things yet.
I’d been cooking my stewed pears the traditional way: on the hob, in whichever cheap red wine happened to be lurking in a cupboard. Usually, I’d check on them several times, making sure there was still enough liquid in the pan. Not this time, however. I had a new book, so I sat curled up on the couch, and was so thoroughly immersed in the story, I might as well have been on another planet.
That lasted until a truly disgusting stench drifted into the room. By then, it was too late, and there was only one thing left to do with my once lovely pears: bin them.
Thankfully, with my slow cooker, disasters like that one are a thing of the past. Getting lost in a story is no longer an unforgivable cooking sin.
Spoonie Notes
While this is an incredibly easy and hands-off dish (the slow cooker does most of the work while you rest) there’s one part I could well do without: the peeling.
Gieser Wildeman are not easy to peel—and I don’t suppose the Anjou, Bosc, or Concorde will be any easier—and having hypermobile hands honestly doesn’t help. Ideally, I’ll ask someone else to peel them for me, but that only works when there’s actually someone else around.
My next best option is to use a Y-peeler. Mine’s a nice, sturdy one that sits comfortably in my hand, which at least prevents my fingers from dislocating every other minute. It might be a small win, but it definitely counts.
Storage
These pears keep amazingly well. I store them in their cooking liquid in the fridge for up to a week—and they’d probably keep even longer, but by then I’ll have eaten them all, so I never put that to the test.
They freeze beautifully, too… if you happen to have made more than you can eat within a week. Though the texture may soften a little, the flavour will remain rich. Thaw gently and warm them through in their syrup.
Allergy Information
Dutch Stoofperen are vegan and naturally gluten-free.
- Free from: dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts, soy
Step-by-Step Dutch Stoofperen Recipe
Dutch Stoofperen (Spiced Wine Stewed Pears)—Slow Cooker Version
Equipment
- Slow cooker (or a heavy saucepan with lid)
- Y-peeler or standard vegetable peeler
- Chopping board
- Small knife
- Measuring spoons/cup
Ingredients
- 6 Gieser Wildeman pears or another small, firm, cooking pear
- 375 ml Spiced Wine homemade or store-bought; non-alcoholic works beautifully too
- 125 ml Water
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 Pods Star Anise
- 1 tbsp Sugar Optional. To taste
- 1 strip Lemon or Orange peel Optional
Instructions
- Peel the pears.
- Leave them whole with stems intact if possible.
- Place in the slow cooker in a single layer
- Add the liquid and spices.
- Pour over the spiced wine and water. Add sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and peel.
- Cook gently.
- Cover and cook on Low for 4–5 hours, or until the pears are tender and have turned a deep ruby red.
- Cool slightly before serving.
- Serve warm in their syrup, or chill overnight to let the colour deepen even more.
Notes
This recipe is part of the mini series The Gentle Art of Winter Cooking, a celebration of spoonie-friendly, easy, and nourishing dishes that provide warmth and comfort on cold days.
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