Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • Vanilla Custard Sauce (see recipe here)
  • 4 Bosc pears, stems intact
  • 1 bottle Burgundy or Merlot
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Rind of one lemon

Instruction

  • Prepare the vanilla custard sauce ahead of time to allow it to cool before serving.
  • Cut a small amount from the ridges at the bottom of each pear so the end is flat and the pears will stand upright. With a small paring knife, remove the core from the bottom of each pear by turning the knife around and around until you have whittled out the core. Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact.
  • In a 4-quart pot, pour in the bottle of wine. Fill the wine bottle with water and then add the water to the pot with the wine so you have a 50/50 mix of wine and water. Add sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon rind and bring to a boil.
  • Gently add pears and cover with a dish or pan so they stay submerged under the liquid.
  • Gently boil for 40 minutes or until tender. Use a small skewer or tooth pick to see if they are done.
  • Remove pears to a plate with a slotted spoon, cover and refrigerate.
  • Bring the liquid back to a boil and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to one cup. The finished wine sauce will thicken as it reduces. Let the sauce cool slightly.
  • To serve, spoon wine sauce onto the bottom of a small flat dish or bowl, add drops of vanilla custard sauce to the wine sauce (if you’d like, use a toothpick and make decorative swirls). Place a pear in the center of the dish and serve.