Poached pears in red wine

Serves 6 350ml red wine

1 lemon

150g caster sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

6 pears

150g double cream

150g white chocolate, broken into pieces

Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a large saucepan and add the caster sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean paste and red wine. Bring to the boil.

Halve the pears, leaving the stalks intact, and remove the cores by hollowing them out with a teaspoon, then peel off the skin.

Add the pear halves to the saucepan, cut-side down, and simmer for 10 mins. Turn them over and simmer for another 10 mins until soft, then drain.

To make the white chocolate sauce, pour the cream in a separate saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the white chocolate and stir, off the heat, until the chocolate has melted. Leave to sit for 5 mins to thicken.

Transfer the pears to a serving plate, drizzle with the sauce, and serve.