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Poached Winter Fruits in Spiced Wine

"A recipe to demonstrate the technique of poaching. The exchange of flavours produces delicately spiced fruits and an aromatic juice which is delicious served hot or cold.
These should be made a day in advance". From Raymond Blanc, http://www.raymondblanc.com/ Serves 4

For the Red Wine Jus
1 bottle Red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon
250ml Water
150g Sugar, caster
1 Vanilla pod cut in half, 2 drops vanilla extract
1/2 Cinnamon stick
black pepper
2 Bay leaves
2 Cloves
2 slices Lemon, skin on
2 slices Orange
Ingredients for the Fruits
1 Qunice, peeled & cut into 4 segments, cored
4 Ripe pears (Williams preferably), peeled & quartered
1 Baby Pineapple peeled & cut into 4 segments
1 Granny Smith apple peeled & cut into 4 segments, cored
8 Agen Prunes (optional)

Bring the red wine to the boil for approximately 1 minute;(*1) add the water and all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer. Poach the Quince for approximately 10 minutes (barely simmering). (*2), Add the pears, pineapple and apple segments, cover with greaseproof paper and poach for a further 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, add the Prunes and refrigerate.

To serve, arrange all the fruits, spices, red wine and cooking juices in a large dish, serve cold.

Chef's Notes

*1 By boiling the wine you will remove the bitter alcohol taste and leave the delicate fruity qualities of the wine.

*2 It is important that while the fruits are poaching, the liquid does not come to a boil; the heat and agitation would damage the delicate flesh of the fruits.

Variations

Any other seasonally available fruit would be a welcome addition, but make sure to adjust the cooking times for more delicate fruits, such as blackberries, which only need 8 minutes of poaching.