Vanilla poached pears

The next time you need an elegant dessert - for the holidays or any time of year - try poached pears. A beautiful presentation with golden syrup drizzled over glossy pears, the dessert only looks difficult - if you can boil water, you can make this surprisingly easy treat. Better yet, you can make them ahead of time and then serve cold or warm in the oven for a few minutes.

Ingredients
1 750 ml bottle sweet white wine, such as Riesling or Demi Sec
1 cup water
3/4 cup vanilla sugar, or ¾ cup sugar mixed with 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
4 firm pears, peeled but with stems intact

Place wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean and pulp (or pure vanilla extract) in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, peel and core the pears from the bottom (a melon baller or a pointy spoon works well). Reduce heat to medium low and add pears, making sure they are submerged in the liquid. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until pears are soft but still hold their shape. Remove pears and place in a baking dish, standing them upright, and chill in refrigerator.

Remove the vanilla bean (if used) from the saucepan, raise heat to high, and boil liquid for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a syrup, which will boil down to approximately 1 cup of liquid. Don't let the liquid turn brown. Place the syrup in a heat-proof container and refrigerate until cool.

Remove the pears from the refrigerator and place on plates, pour sauce over the pears and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe courtesy of ThinkInsideTheIcebox.com