Feeling like a change from Christmas pudding this year? Isigny Sainte-Mère chef Ivan Vautier has published numerous dessert recipes, including this one with poached pears at http://www.isigny-ste-mere.com/EN/r_dessert.php?id_type_recette=4&numero=27&page=1

It’s worth making sure that the pears are quite firm, so that they do not turn to a mush after being cooked. The result will still be edible, even if its presentation is compromised.

Pears have the peculiarity of softening and ripening from the centre outwards, making it harder to tell exactly how ripe a pear is without cutting one open. To serve vertical poached pears, it will help to cut the base of the pear flat so that it is stable.