Pears Poached in Spiced Wine
Perfectly poached pears dusted with a touch of cinnamon
Prep time: 60 minutes
Serves 6
3 cups red wine, such as Cabernet, Merlot or Zinfandel
1 cup organic orange juice
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
8 cloves
6 Bosc or Anjou pears, ripe yet firm
Combine the wine, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact. Take a small slice off the bottom of each pear, so they will stand level. Add the pears to the wine mixture and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and chill. Turn up the heat and reduce the sauce until 1/4 cup remains, set aside to chill. Just before serving, pour a pool of crème anglaise onto a plate, top with a pear and drizzle with wine syrup.
Crème Anglaise
Serves 6
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups organic milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. real vanilla
In a heavy saucepan, add the cream and milk, bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. Fill a medium saucepan half full of water and bring to a low simmer. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and the sugar together until thick and pale yellow. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the yolk mixture. Set the bowl of custard over the saucepan of just barely simmering water and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Refrigerate until chilled.
