Poached Pears

Recipe courtesy of The Food Channel.

Ingredients
6 medium firm, ripe pears
6 cups sweet red Pesach wine
⅔ cup honey
⅔ cup sugar
6 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup orange juice
4 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon orange zest, for garnish

To Prepare
Combine wine, honey, sugar, lemon juice, orange juice and cinnamon sticks in a saucepot and bring to a simmer. Peel the pears and cut a small slice from the bottom of each so they stand upright. Add pears to the liquid, cover the pot and simmer, turning pears occasionally until they become tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat and allow pears to cool in the poaching liquid for approximately 1 hour. You can serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours for a darker color. Serve the pears by pooling the poaching liquid in the center of a plate or shallow bowl. Stand the pear in the center of the plate and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of orange zest.