My friend dropped off some fresh bosc pears this weekend. I wanted to try something different. I have never poached pears in wine but it sounded wonderful especially with some type of cream as an accent. I looked around Epicurious and there were several interesting sounding recipes. They all used different types of wine; fruity red, riesling, sweet muscat.

I decided to try this recipe poaching the pears in Marsala. I made a half batch since I only had a cup of Marsala. The recipe called for dry Marsala and I had sweet so I omitted the sugar. I also peeled and cut my pears in half instead of poaching them whole. It was easier to manage.

They were deelish especially with a dollop of mascarpone cheese. And it made my house smell wonderful while they were cooking.

Poached Pears with Marsala, Cinnamon, and Vanilla
From Bon Appettit/Epicurious

2 cups dry Marsala
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
2 long strips orange peel
6 7-ounce Bosc pears, peeled, stems left intact

8 ounces mascarpone cheese (optional)

Combine 2 cups dry Marsala, 2 cups water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, split vanilla beans, and orange peel strips in heavy large pot. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add peeled Bosc pears. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and simmer until pears are tender, turning pears occasionally, about 40 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to platter. Boil liquid in pot until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 12 minutes. Pour syrup over poached pears. Chill until cold, turning pears occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Divide poached pears among 6 shallow bowls. Strain syrup; discard solids. Drizzle syrup over pears. Top each with dollop of mascarpone, if desired, and serve.