Red Wine Pears with Walnuts

Ingredients

• 1 Vanilla bean
• 1 bottle red wine (0,75 l)
• 6 cloves of mace
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• 125 g sugar
• 2 firm pears
• 30 g walnut kernels
• 2 sprigs of lemon balm

Instructions

1. 1.

   Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add them with the bean, red wine, mace, cinnamon sticks, and sugar to a pot. Bring to a boil once and reduce the liquid by about half.

2. 2.

   Peel the pears, halve them lengthwise, and remove the core using a melon baller. Add the pears to the liquid and simmer gently on low heat for 5-8 minutes per side. Transfer the pears to a bowl, pour the strained liquid over them, cover, and let steep for at least 24 hours, turning occasionally.

3. 3.

   Serve garnished with walnut kernels and lemon balm.