Wine-Poached Pears With Pomegranate

• 1 bottle Viognier or other fruity white wine
• 3-4 Bosc or Anjou pears
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 whole vanilla bean
• 5-6 cardamom pods, lightly smashed
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 2 cups pomegranate seeds (arils)

1. Pour the wine into a heavy saucepan, tossing in the spices (cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, cardamom pods, & cloves). Add the sugar & stir until it dissolves. Heat the poaching liquid over medium heat until small bubbles form and wisps of heat rise from the top of the pan.
2. While waiting for the liquid to simmer, peel & core the pears. You may wish to poach them in halves, for a dramatic presentation, or in quarters or even slices-it's up to you. Depending on how you slice them and the size of your saucepan, you may have to poach in batches.
3. Once the liquid's ready, cook the pears until they are tender, approximately 15-20 minutes. Adjust the heat so that the liquid does not come up past a gentle boil. When the pears are done, remove them and set aside, either to cool or to serve.
4. Strain the spices out of the saucepan and crank up the heat, bringing the liquid up to a boil. Reduce to your desired consistency.
5. Scatter the pomegranate seeds on a platter and top with the poached pears. Drizzle with the warm syrup and serve; alternately, you can make this dish ahead and serve it cold from the refrigerator

white wine, pears, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, cardamom pods, cloves, pomegranate seeds

Taken from food52.com/recipes/19898-wine-poached-pears-with-pomegranate (may not work)