Poached Pears (Poires Pochees) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 pears
2 cups red wine
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 star anise

Preparation

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon juice and pears and let sit for 2 minutes. Remove pears from the hot water 1 at a time and carefully peel, leaving stem intact.
Combine wine, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and star anise in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Rinse pears and add to the boiling wine mixture. Use a plate on top of pears to keep them submerged. Simmer until a knife very easily pierces the pears, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and allow pears to cool in the wine mixture.
Serve pears in a bowl, either whole or sliced and cored.