Sufra Dayma:

Poached Pears in Honey and Wine

By Moushira Abdel-Malek

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Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 pears (ripe but not soft)

1 bottle of fruity red wine

1/2 cup of honey

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Sweetened crème fra"che (or) whipped cream to serve

Method:

Put the wine, honey and cinnamon in a saucepan large enough to take all pears snugly in one layer, stems upward. (Do not add pears yet). Bring to the boil, then simmer gently. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the fruit, also leaving stems intact. Put into the poaching liquid, stems upward. Poach until tender, (15-25 minutes depending on quality and ripeness). Remove gently from syrup with a slotted spatula. Raise heat under saucepan and boil honey wine syrup to reduce by half. Allow to cool. Serve in small bowls with some of the syrup and a dollop of your choice of cream.