Vanilla Poached Pears

This is a healthy no fat dessert you can enjoy whenever fresh pears are in season. I normally serve it in bowls with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Just remember to use a good wine that you would drink on its own.

Ingredients:
1 (750-ml) bottle white wine, preferably Riesling
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped
4 firm pears (preferably Bosc), peeled, leaving the stem intact

Preparation:
Place the white wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean and pulp into a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Core the pears from the bottom. Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the pears are tender but not falling apart. Maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pears to a serving dish, standing them upright, and place in the refrigerator.
Remove the vanilla bean from the saucepan, increase the heat to high and reduce the syrup to approximately 1 cup of liquid, approximately 20 to 25 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Place the syrup in a heatproof pitcher and place in the refrigerator until cool, approximately 1 hour. Remove the pears from the refrigerator, spoon the sauce over the pears and serve.