Poires pochées au vin marocain cardamone, vanille, cannelle

Pears poached in wine are a popular dessert in France, and it must be one of the most consistently bland and disappointing I come across. It really takes an intensely aromatic poaching syrup to give them some personality. This recipe does just that. The syrup has a lot of sugar, granted, but this is offset by the orange juice and zest, and creates a wonderful dark and shiny glaze. If you can’t find Moroccan wine, use anything else full-bodied and full of sun.