Spicy baked pears in wine

6 fresh, firm pears

300 ml Simonsvlei Shiraz

250 (200 ml) sugar

1 stick cinnamon

1 ml ground cloves

3 slices lemon or orange

45 ml butter or margarine

10 ml cornflour, optional

1. Peel the pears, but do not remove the stalks. Cut out the core. Cut a deep cross in the bottom of each pear to allow the flavour to penetrate.

2. Heat the wine, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and citrus slices in a heavy-based saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Add the butter and melt. Add pears and simmer in wine for about 20 minutes.

3. Remove the pears and stand upright in an ovenproof dish. Pour the wine mixture over and bake in a preheated oven at 160 °C for about 45 minutes. Spoon wine liquid over occasionally during baking.

4. If preferred, mix the cornflour with a little water and thicken the sauce in a heavy-based saucepan. Serve the pears hot with the wine sauce.

Serves 4 – 6