Marsala-baked pears with grapes

Preheat an oven to 175°C/gas mark 4

Make a syrup by placing the Marsala in a small pan with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the vanilla pod and the cinnamon stick. Heat and reduce by half – the consistency should be thick and viscous. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside, discarding the cinnamon and vanilla

Peel and halve the pears, then scoop out the cores. Sprinkle the cut sides with the remaining sugar and place cut-side down in a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat

Once nice and coloured, transfer the pears to a baking dish with the grapes and drizzle over the syrup. Place in the oven for 20–25 minutes or until the pears are nice and soft. Halfway through cooking, baste the pears with the syrup and grape juices

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of mascarpone