Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 medium sized Bosc or William pears, ripe but still firm,
  
• 75 g ( 1/3 cup) sugar,
  
• 1 1/2 cup (335 ml) red wine,
  
• 1 orange,
  
• 1/2 cup (110 ml) orange juice,
  
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice,
• 1 cinnamon stick.
  

Preparation Steps:

1. Peel the orange zest into small strips.

2. Combine wine, orange zest and juice, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon stick in a heavy saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove the orange zest.

3. Peel pears, leaving stems intact. Cut small slice off the bottom of each pear so it will stand upright. Arrange the whole pears on their sides in the saucepan of wine. Cover and poach gently until pears are tender, turning once, about 15 minutes per side. Cooking time will depend on the size of the pears, test with the point of a sharp knife, there should be just a little resistance when cooked. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to upright position in a dish.

4. Boil cooking liquid until reduced to approximately 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure liquid is not reduced too far. Pour into small bowl, cover and chill sauce and pears separately until cold, at least 2 hours or up to one day.

5. Transfer pears to upright position on serving plates, garnish with zest strips and spoon on red wine sauce. They can be served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.