Apricots in Peppered Wine

• 1½ lb / 680 g apricots
• ½ vanilla pod
• 8

Peel the apricots by plunging them briefly into a pan of boiling water to loosen the skins. Put the vanilla pod, bay leaves and spices in a saucepan with the apricots and wine. Simmer gently until the apricots are tender but not woolly. This may take anything from 10–30 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Remove the apricots with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a serving bowl. Boi