Poached Pears With Mascarpone

• 4 cups dry white wine
• 2 cups water
• 13 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 ripe but firm pears, peeled and cored but left whole
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder

1. Combine the wine, water, sugar and cinnamon in a deep nonreactive saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes.
3. Add the pears and simmer 15 minutes, until the pears are just tender.
4. Remove the pears from the liquid, draining them well, and place them in a bowl.
5. Boil down the liquid until it is reduced to two cups and has become syrupy.
6. Remove the cinnamon stick.
7. Pour the liquid over the pears and refrigerate at least four hours or overnight.
8. To serve, place each pear standing up in a deep dish or goblet.
9. Pour some of the cooking liquid over each.
10. Stir the mascarpone to smooth it, then spoon a generous dollop on top of each pear.
11. It will begin to drip down the sides of the pear.
12. Dust with sifted cocoa and serve.

white wine, water, sugar, cinnamon, mascarpone cheese, cocoa powder

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3793 (may not work)