Ingredients

6 pears , 1 small bunch fresh basil -- plus leaves , 2 cups zinfandel wine , 1/2 cup sugar

Method

1. Peel pears. Core pears by cutting a cone-shaped wedge from the bottom of each. Leave stems intact. Discard seeds and cores. Wash and julienne a bunch of basil. , 2. Place wine and sugar in a medium non-aluminum saucepan. Add julienned basil and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Place pears upright in poaching liquid, reduce heat, and simmer until pears are tender and do not offer resistance when pierced with a sharp knife (about 20 minutes). , 3. Remove fruit with a slotted spoon to a serving dish. Return syrup to a boil and reduce by half to about 1 cup (about 10 minutes). Pour syrup over pears and cool for 3 hours in refrigerator. , 4. To serve, place pears in stemmed glasses, spooning some of the cooking juices over each fruit. Garnish with basil leaves. , Zinfandel Peaches: Follow recipe for Zinfandel Pears; substitute 6 peaches for pears. Peel peaches with a sharp knife, or dip in a pan of boiling water for about 1 minute to loosen skin and peel by hand. Halve and remove pit. Place in p