Sufra dayma

Pears in Red Wine

By Moushira Abdel-Malek

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Ingredients:

8 small very hard pears
250 gms castor sugar
Juice of one lemon
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 clove
1 strip orange rind
350 ml red wine
150 ml thick cream (whipped)

Method:

Peel the pears but do not core them. Drop them into a bowl of water and lemon juice until they are all prepared, to prevent them from going brown. In a pan large enough to hold the pears upright in a single layer, combine the sugar with 150 ml water, the spices and orange rind. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Add all but 60 ml of the red wine and continue cooking uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, or until pears are tender, but not disintegrated. Transfer the pears with a slotted spoon to a serving dish. Reduce the cooking liquid to the consistency of a light syrup by fast boiling, uncovered. Stir in the remaining wine. spoon the syrup over the pears several times to glaze them. Allow to cool, then chill thorou ghly. Serve