Dessert so light, fresh, cool and fruity – and of course delightfully boozy. A wonderful end to a rich meal.
- 3 firm conference pears
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 litre water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 375ml sweet dessert wine (like a moscatel)
- Mix the sugar and water in a medium saucepan
- Heat on low until the sugar dissolves, then turn the heat up and bring to the boil
- While the syrup heats, peel the pears, then halve them lengthways and scoop out the cores with a little spoon or the tip of a sharp knife
- Rub the pears with the cut surfaces of the lemon to stop them from browning
- Add the pears, the lemon shells and the lemon juice to the boiling syrup and lower the heat to a simmer
- Cook until the pears are tender and looking ever so slightly translucent – this can take up to 25 mins for really unripe ones, just 10 mins if they’re softer to start with
- Remove the pears from the syrup and put on one side
- Boil the syrup hard until just about 200ml is left and it’s got syrupy
- Turn off the heat, stir in the sweet wine and pour over the pears
- Chill thoroughly before serving – ideally over night
Serve with a scant scatter of toasted almond flakes and a few tart berries floating in the bowl with the pears – blackberries are beautiful, or red currants
Sophie cooks 