Ingredients:
1 bottle Merlot or Cabernet (enough to fill saucepan 3/4 full)
4 pears – Bosc works best - pears should be firm but not too firm
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. Mulling Spices
2- 2 inch pieces of orange peel or 1 tsp. dried Orange Peel
1/2 lemon juiced
Directions:
Put wine in saucepan just large enough to hold pears- keep it as small as possible and still hold the pears without crowding but allows for the pears to be easily re-positioned.
Add sugar, orange peel, lemon juice and spices and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes to dissolve sugar.
Cut slices off bottom of pears so they will stand up straight. Peel pears – leaving stems intact – add each one as peeled to poaching liquid to prevent discoloration.
Poach for approximately 20 minutes –occasionally and gently turning them so all sides absorb the wine equally and are the same color. Time will vary with size and ripeness of pears.
Once done, let pears cool ten minutes in liquid.
Remove pears to serving plates.
Meanwhile strain poaching liquid of spices and return to saucepan and gently boil to reduce liquid until about 1 cup remains.
Cool syrup and when cool drizzle decoratively over plated pears and serve.
