Photo due: April 20, 2011
I borrowed the concept of this recipe from a medieval recipe book which had pears poached in red wine with poudre fort and sugar. While the recipe is wonderful and has stood the test of hundreds of years, I wanted a lighter version for an intimate, elegant meal.

Poached Peaches or Pears

4 fresh freestone peaches or pears
1 ½ cups white wine
½ cup Galliano liqueur
½ cup sugar
½ vanilla bean
Zest of one orange

Peel fruit and remove stones from peaches, or core the pears. Set aside. Into a large saucepan combine the wine, liqueur and sugar. Add the vanilla bean and orange zest. Carefully place the fruit into the wine and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until fruit is tender. Do not let the liquid boil.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve plain, with ice cream or topped with a few vanilla chocolate shavings.

A variation on this is to use rum instead of wine, eliminate the Galliano, substitute honey for sugar, and add a stick of cinnamon.

Serves 4 to 8