Baked Pears

Preparation

1. Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact and dropping the pears as they are peeled into a bowl of cold water acidulated with the juice of the lemon. In a saucepan combine the wine, 2 cups water, the sugar, the zest, the cinnamon sticks, and the liqueur, bring the liquid to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and simmer the syrup for 5 minutes. Arrange the pears, drained, on their sides in a baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer and pour the syrup over them. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake the pears in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, turn the pears over gently, and replace the foil. Bake the pears for 20 to 30 minutes more, or until they are tender. Let the pears cool, transfer them carefully to a deep serving dish, and ladle the cooking syrup with the zest over them. Chill the pears, covered, overnight and serve them with some of the syrup.