This is the 2nd time that I’ve ever prepared wine poached pears. Don’t know what took me so long to discover this dessert!!! It’s addictive. I served them after lunch today and they tasted so gorgeous that I need to share the recipe here. Right now. You mind?

Ingredients for 2:
2 firm Williams (Bartlett) pears
500ml good red wine
juice and peel of 1 (blood) orange
juice of 1/2 lemon
cloves, many
3 green cardamoms
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cinnamon stick
blond cane sugar, several tablespoons
for serving: whipping cream

1. Combine the wine, juice and peel of an orange and lemon juice, cardamoms, fennel seeds and cinnamon stick in a saucepan, stir in the desired amount of sugar and slowly bring to boil.
2. In the meantime, peel the pears and prick them all over with the cloves. Place them into the saucepan and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Turn the pears around every now and then. Turn the heat off and let the pears in spiced wine for at least 4 hours (until cool) and at most for a couple of days (in the fridge, in this case).
3. Strain the spiced wine into another saucepan, add more sugar -if needed- and bring to boil. Reduce to a syrupy sauce.
4. Whip the cream (no sugar!). For serving, place each pear on its own plate and drizzle generously with the (still warm) wine syrup. Decorate with the cooled whipped cream and serve immediately. Enjoy sweet life…