5or 6 pearsI like to use Bosc pears for their elongated look
3cinnamon sticks
3or 4 strips orange peelavoid the white part
2star anise
6or 7 cloves
1cupgranulated sugar
1bottle red wine
Instructions
Place the cinnamon sticks, orange peels, anise, cloves and sugar in a saucepan large enough to hold the pears. Add the wine and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Peel the pears and slice off the bottom so the pears can stand up.
Lower the pears into the liquid, making sure they get covered by it (if needed, add a bit of water to make sure the pears get completely covered). Bring to a boil.
Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. The pears will get soft. Remove the saucepan from the stove and let cool.
Gently remove the pears from the liquid and place them in a bowl large enough to hold them.
Return the saucepan to the stove and increase the heat to medium. Bring the wine mixture to a gentle boil for about 1 hour, or until the liquid gets reduced to a syrupy consistency. Pour some of the syrup over the pears, cover and refrigerate.
To serve, they look really beautiful standing up on a dish or cake stand with an edge to hold the syrup.
Notes
The remaining syrup (you'll have some quantity left over) can be used for other dishes: you can drizzle it over fresh fruit or ice cream; you can add equal parts of sparkling water for a festive spritz; you can add some more wine and heat it up to make hot wine. The syrup is a fantastic by-product of pears poached in red wine!