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Jewish World Review Baked Pears in Red Wine and Port Wine Glaze: A festive winter dessert By Diane Rossen Worthington JewishWorldReview.com | Years ago, I happened to be at a Los Angeles food event where caterers were showing off their most celebrated dishes. I was struck by a platter of slightly wrinkled pears drizzled with ribbons of glossy red glaze. I had never considered cooking a pear with the skin on. I was in a hurry and didn't have a chance to get the recipe, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. It was a spectacularly elegant yet rustic dessert that seemed easy to put together. After all, no peeling required! On my first try, I cooked the pears so long that the fruit was too soft and the glaze was concentrated with a decidedly burnt aftertaste -- definitely not my best cooking moment. The next try resulted in a wonderful dessert that was not too heavy and was truly artful to look at. I have made so many variations along the way that I can honestly say this is one dessert that you can make your own. Below you will find some other flavor ideas. Baked fruits are every bit as good as roasted vegetables, both benefiting by the heat and caramelization that takes place in the oven. Roasting vegetables requires a higher heat and drizzle of olive oil and seasoning to bring out their inherent melting sweetness. Fruits require some liquid and sugar to achieve a similar result. Bosc pears are a good choice for this bistro-style dessert because they have a creamy texture that holds up well during cooking. WE FEED YOUR SOUL, INTELLECT --- AND STOMACH Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". HUNDREDS of columnists and cartoonists regularly appear. Sign up for the daily update. It's free. Just click here. I hope you'll try these pears whether you are serving a crowd or just a small group. Serve them at room temperature or reheat them just before serving; either way, this dessert will shine. Help is on the Way: Make sure the pears have stems attached for a pretty presentation. Also, wrap stems in foil so they don't burn. Remove foil carefully after baking. Use a shallow rimmed glass or ceramic baking dish so that the liquid can reduce. Try some other flavors: substitute pomegranate juice or cranberry cocktail for the port, or use only red wine, or try a sweet dessert wine flavored with a vanilla bean along with the sugar. This recipe may be prepared up to 8 hours ahead through step 5 and kept at room temperature. Serve these with biscotti or a crisp butter cookie. Serve with whipped cream or French vanilla ice cream. BAKED PEARS IN RED WINE AND PORT WINE GLAZE Serves 8 2 cups dry red wine, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon 1 cup tawny port wine 1 cup sugar 1 cinnamon stick 2-inch piece lemon or orange zest 8 Bosc pears, ripe, but firm with stems attached Fresh mint leaves, for garnish 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat, bring the red wine, port, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon or orange zest to a simmer, and dissolve the sugar. Remove the cinnamon stick. 2. Core the pears from the bottom and then cut the bottom flat so that they can stand upright. Wrap a small piece of aluminum foil around each stem to protect it from burning. 3. Place the pears stem side up in a large baking pan and then pour the wine mixture over them. (Reserve the saucepan.) Bake the pears for about 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a knife, basting every 15 minutes with the wine mixture. 4. Remove the pears from the oven and carefully remove the foil from the stems. Transfer the pears to a serving platter. 5. Pour off the remaining wine mixture into the reserved saucepan. Bring to a simmer on medium-high heat and reduce the wine until it becomes a glaze. Spoon the glaze over the pears. 6. Garnish with fresh mint leaves, and serve warm, with vanilla ice cream if desired. These pears are also excellent served at room temperature. Interested in a private Judaic studies instructor — for free? Let us know by clicking here. Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. To comment, please click here. © 2013, Diane Rossen Worthington. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.