Poached Pears

Getting pears at the right stage of ripeness for cooking is quite difficult, since they are only perfectly ripe for a brief period before going bad. Many restaurants get round this by using tinned pears when baking tarts. The best way of dealing with pears which are not fully ripe is to poach them in red wine.

Comice pears, which originated in Angers, are the finest and, when cooked this way, turn an entrancing pink colour. This dish can be made the day before it is needed.