“It was with wild anticipation that I waited for my Yuppiechef delivery of a 29cm Oval Cocotte in my favourite Le Creuset colour -Kiwi. I bought this new addition to my kitchen as a 30th birthday present to myself, because apparently at thirty women tend to settle in themselves and their priorities change. I thought I’d enjoy my priorities changing, especially if I had one of these lovely specimens to come home to every evening.

To christen my new cocotte into the family I decided to have a Happy Holidays dinner perfectly rounded off by Red Wine Poached Pears, done in my new pot. Poached pears are a favourite of mine so it was not a difficult choice.

Ingredients:
6 semi ripe pears, peeled, halved, and cored
1 bottle red wine
Splash of vanilla essence
Thinly peeled lemon rind from one lemon
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Method:
Place all ingredients except the pears into your beautiful Le Creuset Cocotte (or another large, heavy pot). Bring these to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Gently place the pears in the liquid, rounded side up and let simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Carefully turn them and let simmer for another 10-12 minutes.

Remove from the pot. If you’d like, bring the liquid back to a boil and reduce to a thick syrup (watch this carefully as it burns very quickly). You can eat the pears as is or top them with custard, yogurt, or ice cream, with the red wine syrup spooned over the top.

Delish! The pears come out a wonderful ruby red colour, offering the perfect colour combination to any festive season celebration.

I am very happy with my choice of size too because had I taken a smaller version, there is no way I would have managed to fit all the pears and the liquid into one pot. I’m ecstatic about my purchase and I know I’ll be using it for a long time to come! Let’s just hope Father Christmas got my list this year, which includes another little something from Le Creuset…”

We hope Father Christmas is listening, too. Thanks for the recipe and review, Candice!