Pears in Red Wine

Ingredients

Serve 6

6 tripe pears,
1 pt/600ml. Red wine
1 cinnamon stick broken to pieces
6 cloves
6 cardamom pods
rind and juice of 1 small orange
sugar

Method

Using a vegetable peeler peel the pears, making sure you leave the stalks intact, using a sharp knife trim bases so the pears sit flat, rub the sides of the lemon over pears to prevent browning.
Stand pears in a saucepan that allows them to sit close together

Pour red wine into the pan along with remaining ingredients, bring to boil, skimming away any scum from surface, lower the heat, and simmer for 35-40minutes, or until tender, spoon liquid over pears frequently during cooking to ensure even coloring,

Remove the cooked pears from the pan using a slotted spoon and reserve the red-wine liquid, place pears in a warmed heat proof dish and keep warm, return red wine liquid to heat

Bring the liquid to the boil and boil rapidly for 8-10 minutes or until liquid is reduced and syrupy, pour syrup through a sieve over the pears, and serve immediately with whipped cream if liked