Creamy Poached Caramel Pears

• 8 medium-large pears, remove the core if you wish
• 500 g (1 lb) caster sugar

Use a potato peeler to peel the pears in strips to give a striped effect. Place sugar and water into a large deep saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Once it comes to the boil, remove the spoon and don’t stir it again. When the sugar has cooked to a pale caramel, place the pears in, then the orange juice and peel and 250