PEARS IN RED WIN WITH CINNAMON MOUSSE
| Pears: | Mousse: |
| 4 Bosc pears (or other hard variety) | 100g sugar |
| 750ml dry red wine (Shiraz or Cabernet) | 4 egg yolks |
| 1/2 cinnamon stick | 200ml milk |
| 100g sugar | 1/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon |
| 2 teaspoons granulated gelatine dissolved in a little boiling water | |
| 200ml cream (whipped) |
To cook the pears: peel and core the pears without removing the stalks. In a saucepan, bring the wine, cinnamon stick and sugar to the boil. Add the pears and cook over low heat for 1 to 11/2 hours until the pears are soft and the liquid has greatly reduced to a dark red syrup. Let the pears cool.
To make the mousse: Beat together the sugar and the egg yolks until pale and thick, then pour in the boiling milk and mix well. Transfer to a double boiler and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow to boil. Stir in the cinnamon and the dissolved gelatine, remove from heat and set aside to cool. When the mixture has cooled (but not set) carefully fold in the whipped cream and pour the mixture into 4 dariole moulds. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
To serve: Slice in a slant downwards from the shoulder of each pear, keeping the fruit intact at the stalk. Fan the pears on serving plates and spoon some of the syrup around. Unmould a cinnamon mousse next to each pear and serve at once.