Pears Poached in Sweetly Aromatic Red Wine

This is one of the finest and simplest ways of cooking pears–either the summer Bartletts, or the winter Anjou, Bose, or Cornice–as an elegant, handsome and irresistibly aromatic dessert. The actual poaching takes only about 10 minutes, but it must be done several hours ahead, so that the pears can slowly cool in the wine, absorbing its color and balance of flavors. (See discussion–menu with wines.)