Poached Pears (Poires Pochees)

• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 pears
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 star anise

1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon juice and pears and let sit for 2 minutes. Remove pears from the hot water 1 at a time and carefully peel, leaving stem intact.
2. Combine wine, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and star anise in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Rinse pears and add to the boiling wine mixture. Use a plate on top of pears to keep them submerged. Simmer until a knife very easily pierces the pears, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and allow pears to cool in the wine mixture.
3. Serve pears in a bowl, either whole or sliced and cored.

water, lemon juice, red wine, white sugar, vanilla, ground cinnamon, anise

Taken from www.allrecipes.com/recipe/268949/poached-pears-poires-pochees/ (may not work)