Pears in Wine Sauce

by Daniel Rogov

1 cup sugar
4 slices lemon
4 sticks cinnamon
8 pears, peeled but not cored, with stem intact
1 1/2 cups dry red wine

In a saucepan, combine the sugar with 4 cups of water. Bring to the boil, add the lemon slices, cinnamon and pears, reduce the heat, cover, let simmer for 10 minutes and then add the wine.

Remove the pears, bring the liquids to a light boil and let the sauce thicken to a syrup-like consistency. Return the pears to the syrup and let stand, covered, at room temperature overnight. To serve, core the pears, cut in slices and arrange in overlapping rows on dessert plates. Spoon over some of the syrup. Serves 8.

Daniel Rogov is the restaurant and wine critic for the daily newspaper Ha'aretz. He is also the senior writer for Wine and Gourmet Magazine and contributes culinary and wine articles to newspapers in Europe and the United States.