Poached Fruit

Serves 10.

INGREDIENTS:
1 (750 mL) bottle vin santo
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
1 vanilla bean
Zest of 1 orange, julienned
Zest of 1 lemon, julienned
10 whole ripe Bosc pears
1 1/2 cups large dried figs
1 1/2 cups large dried apricots
3/4 cup large dried pitted prunes

DIRECTIONS:

• Place the vin santo, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla bean, and zests in a large, shallow saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

• Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact, and scoop out the seeds from the bottom with an apple corer or melon baller.

• Lay half the pears on their sides in the poaching liquid and simmer for 20 minutes, carefully turning the pears once with a spoon. Remove with a slotted spoon. Poach the remaining pears in the same liquid.

• Snip off the hard stems from the figs with scissors. Add the figs, apricots, prunes, and the first batch of poached pears and simmer 5 to 10 more minutes, until the pears and the dried fruit are all tender.

• Chill the pears, dried fruit, zests, and poaching liquid. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla before serving if you like.

*Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa