Chianti Style Poached Pears

• 4 bartlet or comice pears or even quince; peeled, cored and halved
• 1 bottle chianti wine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 shots poire William or else another eau de vie or grappa
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Creamy gorgonzola dolce cheese* (enough for four servings)

1. In a sauce pan bring the chianti to a slow boil, add the sugar and whisk while it dissolves. Allow it to reduce by about one third and then hold at a slow simmer
2. In a wide pan melt the butter over medium heat, allow it to almost brown
3. Add the peeled pear halves and allow them to caramelize for just a minute or so
4. Add the liqueur (please don't pour from the bottle), ignite, stand back and wait for fire to go out
5. Slowly drizzle in the chianti mixture into the pan containing pears and simmer until the pears are tender when pierced with a fork. The sauce should be syrupy.
6. Plate up with the gorgonzola on the edge of the plate or center it in the pears. I don't care
7. *Note to cook; while gorgonzola pairs (pun) up well here, I think a nice tallegio would be just as satisfying

bartlet, chianti wine, sugar, shots poire, butter, dolce cheese

Taken from food52.com/recipes/14447-chianti-style-poached-pears (may not work)