Vanilla Bean Poached Pears

Preheat oven 425ºF. Slice off the bottom of each pear just enough so it will stand upright. Peel the entire pear leaving the stem intact and skin at the top; pat dry with a paper towel. Rub butter over the peeled part of the pear. Stand the pears in a small baking dish and sprinkle generously with sugar.

Pour the wine into the baking dish, add golden syrup (if you can’t find it, you can substitute 1/4 cup of honey instead of the golden syrup), then add the vanilla bean paste.

Bake until pears are soft when pierced with a knife and well browned, about 45 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the pears occasionally with the wine bath, adding water as needed to prevent evaporation.

Remove from the oven, let cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream, whipped topping or crème fraiche.