This is a great Christmas Eve dessert — or you could use it as an alternative to a heavy Christmas pudding. It is always best made a day or two in advance: if the poached pears are eaten too soon, the poaching liquid will have penetrated only some of the flesh, and the centre will still be white and less flavoured.

If you do not have any crème de cassis, substitute it with the same amount of blackcurrant syrup, or, failing that, add an extra 100g of sugar to the cooking liquid.

Remember the old saying: “If it’s not good enough to drink, don’t cook with it.” So use a really good red wine.

The ginger and liquorice are optional. If you are using liquorice, make sure that it is the root and not the confectionery — you can buy it from most health-food shops.

Personally, I think the pears look nicer left whole — although they are slightly more fiddly to prepare. If you haven’t got the inclination to do this, just cut them in half.

PEARS POACHED IN RED WINE

Serves 4

1 bottle good-quality red wine
200ml crème de cassis or blackcurrant syrup
200g sugar (or 300g if not using crème de cassis)
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 star anise
20g ginger root, peeled
25g liquorice root
Zest of 1 orange, peeled in one piece (using a sharp peeler)
Zest of 1 lemon, peeled in one piece
8-10 ripe, unblemished pears

Bring the wine to the boil in a casserole big enough to hold the pears and boil for 10 minutes to drive off the acidity. Remove from the heat, then add all the other ingredients, except the pears.

Prepare the pears. Peel them, leaving the stem intact. If you are keeping them whole, remove the core so that they cook evenly all the way through. To core them, insert the tip of a peeler into the base of the pear just on the edge of the core, push into the fruit and turn the peeler around the core, cutting it out. If halving the pears, do so lengthways. Neatly cut out the root and core.

The liquid will have cooled down a little by now. Place the prepared pears side by side in the pan and top with a disc of greaseproof paper cut to the same size as the pan. Pierce a few holes in the paper and press it down slightly so that some of the poaching liquid comes through the holes: this will keep the pears submerged during cooking. If the liquid does not cover the pears, add a little water until it does.

Place the casserole back on the heat and bring to a simmer. As soon as this happens, turn down the heat and cook at a gentle simmer — just enough to form the odd bubble on the surface of the water — for 30 minutes, or until the pears are done. Test by inserting a small pointed knife into the flesh. If it goes in with little resistance, they are ready.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool. When cold, carefully transfer the fruit to a sealable container. If you have added extra water, reduce the liquid to the required consistency and taste. If it is still too thin, thicken with a little cornflour. Reserve the zest and spices for decoration, if required. Pour the liquid over the pears in their container and store in the fridge for at least a day. The pears will keep for a week in the poaching liquid. Serve hot or cold.

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