White Wine Poached Pears

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Gather the ingredients.

2. Step 2

   Peel the pears, making sure to keep the stems intact. Shave a thin slice from the bottom of the pears so they will stand up in the pan and when serving. 

3. Step 3

   In a large, deep saucepan, stir together the white wine , water, cinnamon, vanilla bean, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat.

4. Step 4

   Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the pears, standing them upright in the pan. The liquid should cover most of the pears' height.

5. Step 5

   Poach the pears, uncovered, until slightly tender but still firm enough to hold their shape, about 10 minutes. Watch this process carefully as you do not want the pears to overcook or they will collapse.

6. Step 6

   Remove the pears from the poaching liquor with a slotted spoon and place them on individual serving plates or small shallow bowls.

7. Step 7

   Return the poaching liquid to a simmer over medium heat. Add the sugar and allow the mixture to reduce in volume by half, about 6 to 8 minutes. The syrup is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

8. Step 8

   Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean from the syrup and strain the liquid through a fine sieve. 

9. Step 9

   Drizzle each pear with the wine syrup and add any other topping that you'd like.