Perfect for holiday entertaining, this punch highlights two favorite seasonal delights.
Ingredients
- 3 bottles Riesling, chilled
- 2 cups Cognac (I specifically used Courvoisier VSOP.)
- 2 cups unsweetened tea, chilled
- 2 cups Caramelized Pears and Pecans (recipe below)*
- Lemon juice, to taste
- 4 ripe pears, cored
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 5 dashes ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
FOR CARAMELIZED PEARS AND PECANS:
Slice the pears as thinly as possible. (A mandolin works great.) Heat pears and pecans in a large pan over medium heat with the brown sugar, water and cinnamon. Stir often until pears and pecans are caramelized in a rich brown syrup. (If you need more liquid, you can add more water, but add the same amount of brown sugar too.)
Once caramelized, add vanilla extract, take off the heat and let cool.
FOR THE PUNCH:
Pour the Riesling, Cognac and unsweetened tea into a large punch bowl. Add the caramelized pear and pecan mixture. Stir well. Add lemon juice and/or water, to taste. Add ice or ice mold.
For decoration, throw in a few cinnamon sticks.
