To prepare the poached pears, start by peeling them whole with a vegetable peeler (1), taking care to leave the stem attached (2). Now make the syrup: pour the water and the sugar into a saucepan (3).

If baking is your thing, the holidays are all about the dessert. But for the rest of us, dessert is sometimes the unfortunate victim of the 24-hour clock. There is just never enough time to get it all ...

To make the wine syrup, in a 3-quart saucepan (or the size that holds your pears snuggly on their sides but not pressed together), combine the sugar, water, wine, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil over ...

Method: Trim the base of the pears so they will stand upright. Place in a small saucepan (they should fit snugly). Sprinkle caster sugar over the pears, then pour wine over to cover (water may be ...

DECEMBER is a month for feasting -- which is not necessarily to say gorging, though it sometimes seems like it. Eating well is not the same thing as stuffing yourself and eating sensibly is not the ...