Ingredients:
- 2 vanilla pods
- 1 bottle amarone or Barolo wine
- 225g sugar
- Small cinnamon stick
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- Small bunch of fresh thyme
- 8 comice pears, peeled and base removed
- 250g butter, cubed
Method:
Preheat oven to 190C.
Split the vanilla pods and remove seeds. Put seeds and pods into a casserole pan that will hold all your pears snugly and add the wine, sugar, cinnamon and orange juice and zest. Throw in thyme. Bring to the boil on the hob then turn down to a simmer and add your pears, sitting them upright.
Put lid on and bake in the oven for around an hour until soft but not falling apart.
Remove pears, put pan on hob and reduce juices by about half. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter a few cubes at a time. Return pears to pan.
Serve warm, rather than hot with crème fraiche.