CUT THE WASTE

This week: leftover wine

1 POACHED PEARS

Place 3 cups white wine, 3 cups water and 3 cups caster sugar in a large saucepan. Add 2 broken cinnamon sticks and 1 split vanilla bean. Stir over a low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer. Peel 6 pears and remove hard core from base. Place pears in poaching liquid. Cover with a circle of baking paper and cover with lid. Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, for 40 minutes, turning occasionally, until pears are very tender. Carefully remove pears from liquid and place in serving bowls. Spoon over some of the poaching liquid. Serve warm or alternatively at room temperature.

2 RED WINE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 22cm round cake tin, and line base and sides with baking paper. In a large bowl, using an electricl mixer, b beat 185g chopped butter and 1 ½ cups of caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well in between. Sift 1 ½ cups of self-raising flour, ¾ cup of plain flour and ½ cup cocoa powder together. Lightly fold into creamed mixture, alternately with combined 1 cup of red wine and ½ cup of water. Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until cooked when tested. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. For a chocolate ganache, combine 200g chopped dark chocolate and ½ cup thickened cream in a medium pan. Stir over low heat until smooth. Cool until mixture thickens slightly and is of a spreadable consistency. Spread over the top and sides of cake.