Cinnamon Vanilla Poached Pears

I participated in another recipe swap organized by A Taste of Home Cooking and this time the theme was fruit. When I got this recipe for Cinnamon Vanilla Poached Pears from Does Not Cook Well With Others, I knew it would be a good dessert, but I was also surprised-this is one of those recipes that is even better than I thought it would be.  I tend to only like desserts that have chocolate in them but I LOVED this! Matt really liked this too-he practically drank the sauce after finishing his pear!

I made it for just the two of us, but it really is an elegant presentation and definitely fancy and impressive for guests or special occasions.  Of course, you can always enjoy them on your own too as we did! This recipe is very versatile and can be served at room temperature, warm (my favorite way) or cold, and you can eat the pear plain with just a drizzle of sauce, or served over ice cream, whipped cream or a piece of cake. 

I made a few minor changes to this recipe. I only used 3/4 of a bottle of wine instead of an entire bottle because an entire bottle just seemed like a bit too much (plus there was wine left over to drink this way!) and I also substituted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for a vanilla bean because I didn't have any vanilla beans at home.

Cinnamon Vanilla Poached Pears

1 (750 mL) bottle Riesling or other dry wine (I used about 3/4 of a bottle)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

4 Bosc pears, peeled with stems intact

Combine the wine, water, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon stick in a large sauce pot.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, core the pears from the bottom.  To do so, cut a thin slice off from the bottom of the pear and using a pairing knife or other thin knife (a thin vegetable peeler works well too), remove the core.

After mixture has come to a boil, decrease the heat to medium low and submerge the pears into the liquid.  Cover the pot and allow the pears to simmer for 30 minutes, or until fork-tender.

Remove pears from the liquid and set aside.  Remove the cinnamon stick (and vanilla bean if you are using one) and increase the heat to high and boil the liquid until it is reduced to approximately 1 cup of syrup (about 20-25 minutes)

Serve the pears and syrup as desired.