Pears in Red Wine

The pears can just sit and simmer away, the wine will reduce a little, absorb into the pears and the sugar and spices turn it into a kind of mulled wine drink.  You can remove the fruit once cooked and then reduce the wine down even further, but it's quite nice to slurp up as it is once you've eaten the juicy pear.  Swap out the wine for grape juice if making it for non-drinkers or little people. 

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 ripe pears

1 bottle of red wine 

180g golden granulated sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

2-3 Star Anise

Squeeze of vanilla paste

A deep dish to sit the pears in that's suitable to go on your grills.

Method

Set your BBQ up for indirect cooking

Peel the pears using a vegetable peeler leaving the stalk on.  Place them in a bowl of water with lemon juice to stop them turning brown while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.

Take a melon baller or small teaspoon and carefully remove the core from the base of the pears. Make sure the pears stand upright. You might need to trim a bit off the bottom with a knife.

Place the pears in a deep dish. You want the pears to sit quite close together. Pour over the sugar, vanilla paste and pop in the cinnamon sticks and star anise followed by the red wine. You want the wine to come up about 3/4 of the way up the pears... you can drink the rest!

Poach the pears gently, stirring to ensure all the sugar dissolves and baste the pears throughout the cooking time. They will probably fall over, but it doesn't matter, it makes it easier to turn them over.  Allow approximately 2 hours at temp of 140/150C. The liquor should reduce and thicken ever so slightly and the pears should take on a lovely colour and still hold their shape.

Lift out the pears carefully & place in a small dish or cocktail glass. Pour over the rich liquor.  Serve with ice cream or cream if you like.  Make sure you drink all of the warm spiced wine. 

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