Pears with meringue

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 large pears, firm, ripe
• some butter for the mold
• 1 lemon(s)
• 400 ml red wine
• 250 g sugar
• ½ cinnamon stick(s) or 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 2 egg whites
• 0.33 bottles of vanilla flavor
• 25 g almond flakes
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Preheat the oven to 220°C (top/bottom heat). Grease a shallow, ovenproof dish. The dish should be large enough to just fit the halved pears. Peel, halve, and core the pears. Squeeze the lemon and pour the juice into a lidded pot or frying pan. The pot or frying pan should be large enough to fit the pear halves in one layer. Add the wine, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the cinnamon to the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Place the pear halves in the gently simmering red wine syrup and poach for about 10 minutes, until just tender, basting with the syrup occasionally. For the meringue, place the egg whites in a deep mixing bowl and beat with the whisk attachment of a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle in the remaining sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon, and continue beating. Add the vanilla extract and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Remove the pears from the liquid with a slotted spoon and let them drain. Place them cut-side up in the dish and top each pear half with a little beaten egg white. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and sift the powdered sugar over them. Then bake on the middle rack of a preheated oven for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Meanwhile, reduce the pear liquid to a thick syrup. Remove the cinnamon stick and pour the syrup into a jug. Carefully remove the pears from the dish and arrange on dessert plates. Pour in the syrup and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Tip: If you want to avoid alcohol, replace the red wine with water!