Midnight Pears

INGREDIENTS

6 pears, preferably Comice or Williams For the filling:

100g Medjool dates, chopped finely 100g dried soft figs, chopped finely 50g soft dried apricots, chopped finely 2 tablespoons of crème de cassis For the poaching liquid:

1 bottle of nice Merlot or Cabernet Water

1 bay leaf

2 strips of orange peel

2 star anise

2 cloves

2 cracked cardamom pods

150g dark brown sugar

200ml crème de cassis

METHOD

Using a small sharp knife, mark a collar in the skin around the top of each pear, then peel away the skin from the collar to the base. Take a slim slice off the base of the pear so that it stands up and use a “melon-baller” or the point of a small knife to scoop out the core and the pips, working from the bottom up.

Mix together the filling and stuff the pears. Stand them upright in a saucepan just large enough to hold them snugly. Pour in the wine and enough water to cover them – the stalks can be visible.

Add the bay leaf, orange peel, star anise, cloves, cardamoms and sugar. Slowly bring to the boil, then cover and simmer until the pears are soft through, about 20-30 minutes. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and sit them in a bowl.

Turn up the heat under the liquid and reduce by half. Pour in the crème de cassis and pour over the pears. Leave to cool, cover and refrigerate for 48 hours so they turn blackish purple.

Remove from the fridge 20 minutes before serving. I like to serve them with chai cookies and crème fraîche. I usually make these four days in advance of serving them so that they really take on the colour and flavour of the wine, spices and cassis.