Merlo Poached Pears With Vanilla & Cinnamon

Step 1: Tip the wine, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla into a deep medium pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolv es and then add the pears, making sure they are fully covered by the wine, then simmer for 30 minutes until they are just tender.

Step 2: If the pears are very ripe, they may be ready in 20 minutes.

Step 3: They can be made up to 2 days ahead - leave pears in the syrup in the fridge until you are ready to finish the recipe.

Step 4: Remove the pears from the pan with a slotted spoon and boil the syrup for 30 minutes to reduce it and make it more syrupy and then cool and then chill for up to 2 days.

Step 5: Remove from the fridge 1 hour before serving.

Step 6: Whole pears look very elegant, but can be a little tricky to eat, so if your prefer to serve them halved, scoop out the core with a metal measuring teaspoon or melon baller, then poach them for just 10 to 15 minutes depending on how ripe they are.