Red Wine Poached Pears

1. Make sure to use a non-reactive pot that will comfortably fit all the pears that you'll be poaching, with enough wiggle room for the pears to be submerged at an angle as well.
2. Simmer poaching liquid - Place the wine, spices, peel, juice, vanilla, and berries in a saucepan.
3. Add about ¼ cup / 50 g of the sugar.
4. Bring the red wine to a simmer at medium - medium high heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the red wine is starting to boil, reduce the heat to low.
5. Prepare the pears - When the red wine is close to coming to a simmer, peel the pears. If you peel the pears ahead of time, keep them submerged in cold water and lemon juice to prevent browning.
6. Peel the pears and make sure there are no bits of the peel on the pears. The pears will not pick up the red color if the peel / skin is still present. Cut the bottom of the pear to be flat, so that the pears will sit upright while poaching. Try to preserve the stem of the pear.
7. For halved pears - Cut the pears in half lengthwise. Use a melon baller to remove the core. Cut off the stem of the pears (optional).
8. Poach the pears - Lower the peeled pears into the simmering poaching liquid. Place the lid on the pot and lower the heat so that the liquid is at a gentle simmer.
9. Poach the pears in the liquid for about 25 - 30 minutes, but rotate the pears every 5 - 10 minutes to ensure they poach evenly on all sides, including the top. The thick parts of the pears will need to be submerged for longer as they will need to cook longer. Pear halves will be done the fastest.
10. The pears are done when a skewer or thin knife blade goes through the pears with very little resistance. The cook time will vary depending on the size of the pears, and how ripe / unripe they are at the start. For unripe or large pears, the cook time can also be up to 40 minutes.
11. When the pears have been poached, keep them upright in the poaching liquid, and remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the pears to cool down in the poaching liquid. While the next step is optional, and you can remove the pears from the liquid if you're short on time, I highly recommend letting the pears cool down in the red wine so that the pears absorb maximum flavor.
12. When the pears have cooled down, place them in the fridge to chill. You can also let them chill overnight. Keep the pears in the liquid with the lid on if you like, OR place them in a container without the liquid, with a lid or cover.
13. Making the red wine syrup - Once the pears are removed from the cooled down poaching liquid, strain the poaching liquid to remove the berries and spices. Press down gently, but make sure not to get any pulp from the fruits. Discard the fruits and spices.
14. Place the strained liquid in the pot. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to gently boil the red wine liquid until it reduces to a thin syrup. Taste the syrup and add more sugar IF you want. The syrup will also thicken more as it cools.
15. The cooking time depends on how much liquid is left and how much sugar is in the liquid, so keep an eye on it. If the syrup is too thick, add a little water to thin it out.
16. Serve the pears on a serving dish that can also hold the syrup. Brush the pears with a little of the syrup so that they are shiny. This is optional. Serve the syrup in a jar or in the serving dish.
17. To serve - Place a pear on a plate with some syrup spooned over. Serve with a dollop of mascarpone.

Mascarpone (optional)

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until everything is well-mixed and smooth. Taste and add more honey to your taste. Keep it chilled until the pears are ready to be served.