Pears in Red Wine

My local veg shop has had some very nice pears in recent weeks namely the Fiorelli pears and because I love mulled pears especially in the winter months  served with a touch of cinnamon.  Delish with some vanilla ice cream or thick whipped cream.  I thought I would put a few bottles of this up doing a little each week so that we have some lovely goodies to indulge in when the weather is cold.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can serve the pears warm or leave them cold. A simple indulgence but very rich.

Ingredients:

1 pint/600ml red wine
1lb /450g sugar
4 1/2lb/2 kg pears
2 cinnamon sticks
Brandy

1. Place the red wine and the sugar into a preserving pan and stir over a low heat until sugar has completely dissolved.
2. Peel quarter and cored the pears and add to the pan with the cinnamon sticks. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the pears for 5 to 10 minutes or until they are just tender. Take care not to overcook.  Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and transfer the pears into sterilised jars to within 1 inch of the tops of the jars.
3. Increase the heat and boil the syrup rapidly stirring for 5 minutes.  Strain the syrup into a measuring jug and make up to about 1- 1 1/4 pints (600 to 750ml) with brandy.  Pour the mixture into the jars to cover the pears by 1/2 inch.  Seal the jars and label. Keep in a cool dark place for at least 2 to 3 months to allow the flavours to develop before using.
4. Fills two 750ml/ 1 1/4 pint jars.