Monday Recipe - Pears in Red Wine

This recipe is from a cookbook written by Vincent Price and wife, Mary.  Mr. Price was quite a gourmet cook.  This recipe, although very easy to make, is a really elegant dessert.  For summer, you might try a different sort of wine, such as blush.  All of the alcohol is cooked out when the dish is complete; however if you don't want to use wine, try pomegranate juice.

Pears in Red Wine

1 cup red wine

1 cup sugar

1 - 2" cinnamon stick (I have used ground)

3 whole cloves (I have used ground)

6 whole pears

Sour cream

Cinnamon

Combine wine, sugar, cinnamon stick and cloves and cook for 5 minutes. Peel, halve and core the pears and poach them in the syrup about 25 minutes, or until they are tender.  Cool the pears in the syrup.  Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves and chill the fruit.  Put pears on individual serving saucers.  Pour some syrup around them.  Mix a little cinnamon with sour cream and put about 1 tsp. of this in the indentation in the center of the pear.  (The dish isn't as good without the sour cream/cinnamon garnish)