Pears poached in red wine with spices

Babiche Martens

Poached pears in red wine are impressive to look at and eat. Not too sweet, cool, juicy and a very refreshing dessert. They are easy to make and a great way to use up that half bottle of wine you have left over from the night before.

Ingredients

½ bottle	Red wine
1 cup	Sugar
½	Lemons, zest of
½	Oranges, zest and juice of
2	Star anise pods
2	Cinnamon sticks
6	Pears, doyenne du comice or other pears (Main)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160C.
2. In a deep ovenproof casserole dish place the wine, sugar, lemon, orange, cinnamon and star anise. Warm through on top of the stove and dissolve the sugar.
3. Add the pears, cover and place into the oven for 1 hour or until cooked through. Test with a skewer. Turn the pears every 20 minutes for even cooking. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the pears out into a serving dish.
4. Place the dish back on to the element and bring the wine to a boil. Let it reduce by half or until syrupy. Spoon over the pears and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
5. A dollop of mascarpone on the side is just perfect, but whipped cream will suffice.