Wine-poached pears

We just dipped into fall, but the house smelled like Christmas yesterday. This is why.

I'm starting to fall in love with cooked fruit. On Monday I roasted a dish of plums in brown sugar, butter and orange zest for a little dinner gathering. I loved the crusty, burnt-sugar peel and that velvety red fruit beneath. Served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and some of the roasting juices, it was grand. It's perfect for a weeknight dessert since you can toss it together quickly and place it in the oven while you enjoy dinner.

Having a little more time this weekend, I ventured into poached fruit territory, following Alice Waters' version from The Art of Simple Food. This was a variation based on some of her recommendations. She suggests using underripe pears so they hold their shape, which is great for impatient types like me who don't like to buy fruit only to wait for it to ripen.

This is a basic recipe, so you can use a variety of spices, fruits and wines for this, and I doubt that you could mess it up too terribly. Red wine will provide that beautiful color. You know you're on the right track if your kitchen smells like mulled wine for hours.

Wine-poached pears
Adapted from The Art of Simple Food
Serves 2-4, depending on number of pears

2-4 pears (I used D'Anjou), peeled with stem in tact, blossom end scooped out (melon-baller works great)
2 c. water
2 c. red wine
1 1/4 c. sugar (I used sugar in the raw - you can also use honey)
Spices (I used a cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves)
Lemon zest from one small lemon

In a non-reactive medium sized pot, bring the water, wine and sugar to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer and add the pears, spices and zest. Simmer for 30 minutes. If the liquid doesn't cover the fruit, you can add more water, however I just rotated the pears every 5-10 minutes and it worked fine. Remove from heat to cool. Serve warm or refrigerate overnight to develop more flavor (recommend!). Yummy with a dollop of ice cream. You may cook the poaching liquid down further to serve with the fruit or serve as is.