Poached pears

If you want a classic simple and tasty desert, then you cannot go wrong with poached pears.  Now I like to do them in red wine and that is the classical norm but you can do them in white wine if you like or is you want to really impress do some in red some in white and then present a half and half mix of red and white poached pears. Now this recipe can do both just change the red wine for a sweet white wine and you are there.

You will need
6-12 ripe Conference pears
The juice and zest of 1 orange
400ml/14floz sweet red wine
750ml/1¼ pints water
55g/2oz honey
200g/7oz sugar
The juice of 2 lemons
1 vanilla pod, split
1 cinnamon stick, broken into short lengths
4 cloves

Now it all depends on how big your pears are to how many you will need so for this you will get 6 to 12 done all depending on the size.

Starting at the top leaving the stalk on peel the skin of the pear as thin as you can get it. Then from the bottom remove the core and make the base as flat as you can so it stands up on its own.

Arrange you pares in the pan and then cover with the rest of the ingredients. Bring the pan to the boil and then simmer until the pears are cooked. Now how long it takes for the pears to cook will depend.  If your pears are very rip not long at all but anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes.

Once cooked let them just sit in the pan and cool in the wine. Then remove them and let them cool to room temperature. Finally to serve take some of the wine that you cooked the pears in and reduce that down so a thick syrup spoon a little over the pears and a nice spoonful of whipped double cream.