Marsala and star anise poached pears

I created this recipe after the first harvest of honey from our beehives, when the pears were ripe and ready to be picked from the orchard, and it’s become a favourite. I swap out the pears for whatever fruits are in season, such as peaches or plums throughout the year. Marsala wine is a must for your pantry as it’s so good for poaching fruit, adding a delicious rich sweetness, and the star anise brings a deep flavour of aniseed to the dish.

SERVES 4

250ml dry Marsala wine

100g light soft brown sugar

2tbsp runny honey

1tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 star anise

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

4 pears, peeled, with the stem still attached

200g mascarpone cheese, to serve

1 Start by making the spiced marsala syrup. Place the Marsala wine, sugar, honey, lemon juice, star anise and cinnamon in a saucepan.

2 Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and place the pears in the pan so they stand upright. Cover the pan and cook for 15min, basting the pears with the liquid a couple of times during cooking, until they can easily be pierced with a fork.

3 Scoop the pears onto individual dishes, pour the syrup on top and serve each portion with a dollop of mascarpone.