Red Wine Poached Pears with Triple Cream Cheese • St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

Ingredients

• Pair with Zinfandel
• Combine wine, sugar, orange juice, lemon peel, and clove in a heavy medium saucepan.
• Bring to simmer over medium heat, once sugar dissolves, add pear halves to saucepan. Cut out a round of parchment paper the same size as the saucepan.
• Place parchment round atop pears, pushing edges of parchment into the liquid to prevent edges from curling up.
• Reduce heat and barely simmer until pears are tender when pierced with a knife, about 12 minutes.
• Transfer pears to a bowl. Boil liquid in saucepan until slightly syrupy and reduced to ¾ cup, about 14 minutes.
• Cool syrup to room temperature and pour over the pears. Cover and chill for at least 12 hours, turning pears occasionally.
• Thinly slice pear halves lengthwise almost to stem end, leaving stems attached.