Poires Au Vin Rouge (Pears in Red Wine)

Ingredients

• 6 large firm pears
• 3 cups red wine
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 cinnamons sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 strip orange zest
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed , Optional
• 3 whole black peppercorns , Optional
• 2 bays leaves , Optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel pears and remove the cores from the bottom, leaving the stems intact; set aside.

2. 2

   Combine red wine, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, fennel seed, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a large saucepan and bring to a boil; stir until sugar is dissolved. Add pears, return to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low; continue simmering until tender, about 25 minutes.

3. 3

   Remove pears from wine syrup to a rimmed dish; cover the dish and refrigerate until pears are cold. Strain syrup through a mesh sieve into a medium pot and discard spices. Simmer syrup over medium heat until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Refrigerate syrup until cold.

4. 4

   Pour cold syrup over pears. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.