Pears Poached in Red Wine

Step 1
Choose a non-reactive saucepan that will just hold the pears snugly. Pour in the wine and add the sugar, star anise, bay leaves, rosemary, and orange and lemon peel. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5–10 minutes.

Step 2
Meanwhile, peel the pears, squeezing lemon juice over them as they’re done to stop them discolouring.

Step 3
Add the pears to the pan and cover with a circle of baking paper, pressing it directly onto the surface of the liquid. Simmer for 15–20 minutes or until the pears are cooked – you should be able to easily insert the tip of a knife into the centre of the fruit. Remove from the heat and leave the pears to cool in the poaching liquid.

Step 4
Store the pears covered in the poaching liquid, in the fridge, for up to 5 days. If you like, you can simmer some of the poaching liquid to reduce it to a syrup that will coat the pears for serving.