Pere al Vin Santo

As a rule, in Italy dessert means fresh fruit. During the summer you are likely to get a basket of whatever is in season: cherries in June, apricots and plums in July, peaches and pears in August and then grapes. But in winter, baked or poached fruit like pears is very welcome.

I find that the standard compote of apples mixed with other fruit can be boring, so here I have poached pears in Vin Santo and spices to create something truly wonderful.