Spiced Poached Pears with Vanilla Mascarpone

Spiced Poached Pears with Vanilla Mascarpone

Mum cooked this for Dad and I and it was wonderful and not too sweet. The pears were like marinated meat - the flavours and spices absorbed into the flesh during the hour of cooking.

Ingredients:
500ml (2 cups) dry red wine

70g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
2 whole star anise
2 x 7cm cinnamon sticks
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
4 just-ripe packham pears, peeled
1 x 250g ctn mascarpone
2 tbs icing sugar mixture
1 tsp vanilla bean extract

Method:
Combine the wine, sugar, star anise, cinnamon and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add the pears and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, turning occasionally, for 1 hour or until pears are tender. Remove pears and set aside.

Increase heat to high and bring the syrup to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly. Pour over the pears.

Place the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and stir to combine.

Transfer the pears to a serving dish and drizzle with syrup. Serve with mascarpone.