Riesling Baked Pears

• 2 ripe pears with stems, washed and dried
• 1 cup Riesling or other fruity white wine
• 1/8 cup honey
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 strips orange zest (scrub the orange, then use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of zest. Don't use the white pith.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each pear, so they will stand upright. Arrange the pears in a pie pan or similar baking dish. Whisk wine and honey in a medium bowl until well blended; pour over the pears. Add cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and orange zest to the wine mixture around the pears. Roast the pears, basting every 15 minutes, until they are wrinkled and tender, roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears to shallow dessert bowls. Pour the wine mixture into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Drizzle over the pears and garnish with the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and orange zest. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled. You can cover and refrigerate your pears for up to one day.

Delicious over ice cream or with plain yogurt.