Are you planning a holiday party, dreaming of having one, or itching to get into the holiday entertaining spirit?  Today's cookbook may be just the thing to help you.  "Holiday Entertaining" from Williams-Sonoma is devoted to helping you plan, prepare and execute the perfect holiday party.  The book presents menu ideas from Thanksgiving dinner, to Holiday Tea, to Christmas dinner, to New Year's Brunch and more.  The menus use recipes by Georgeanne Brennan including the 'Poached Pears in Red Wine' below.  In addition to recipes for holiday parties you'll also find suggestions for the perfect holiday food gifts, how to plan for a party, how to decorate, and how to set the table through short narratives and extensive photos.   

Poached Pears in Red Wine

Holiday Entertaining: Inspired Recipes & Ideas for Celebrating the Season
by Georgeanne Brennan, Oxmoor House; October 2007

Serves 4

Fruity Pinot Noir, along with a vanilla bean and colorful raspberry purée, updates this classic pear dessert.  Seckel pears, with their smooth, slightly granular flesh are a good variety to use.  Winter Nellis or Bosc are also good pears for poaching.

• 4 firm but ripe Seckel pears, peeled with stems intact
• 2 ½ cups (20 fl oz/625 ml) Pinot Noir or other light, fruity red wine
• ½ cup (4 oz/125 g) sugar
• 1 lemon zest strip, 2 inches (5 cm) long by ¾ inch (2 cm) wide
• 2-inch (5-cm) piece vanilla bean
• 1 ½ cups (12 fl oz/375 ml) water
• 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) fresh or thawed frozen unsweetened raspberries
• ½ cup (2 oz/60 g) fresh raspberries

Place the pears in a non-aluminum saucepan large enough to hold them lying down.  Add the wine, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean, and water.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, set a heatproof plate on top of the pears to keep them submerged in the liquid, and simmer gently until a thin knife inserted into the widest part of a pear pierces easily to the center, 35-40 minutes.  Remove the plate covering the pears.  Let the pears cool to room temperature in the liquid.

Meanwhile, make a raspberry purée.  In a food processor or blender, purée the 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) fresh or frozen berries until smooth.  Pass the purée through a fine-mesh sieve held over a bowl, pressing the back of a wooden spoon to push as much of the purée through the sieve as possible.  Discard the contents of the sieve.  Set the purée aside.

Using a slotted spoon, lift the pears from the liquid.  Set each pear in a shallow individual bowl, or place all four pears on a deep platter.  Remove the zest and vanilla bean and discard or save the vanilla bean to garnish, if you like.  Drizzle the raspberry purée onto the plate and garnish with a few fresh raspberries.  Serve at room temperature.

Serving Tip: Pass thin wafers of bittersweet chocolate to accompany the ruby pears.

About Holiday Entertaining

Packed with over 125 festive recipes, inspirational styling ideas, helpful information on planning and decorating, and stunning lifestyle photography, Williams-Sonoma Holiday Entertaining offers a fresh approach to celebrating the season. With a family-friendly focus, this 288-page guide inspires you to entertain during the holidays, with advice on how to plan, what to serve, and ways to make your celebration--and table--memorable.