Place the prunes in a large saucepan. Pour
the wine over them, then cover the pan and leave the fruit to soak
overnight or for several hours.
Add the lemon juice, sugar and vanilla pod
to the prunes and wine. Bring them slowly to the boil over low heat.
Meanwhile, peel, core and quarter the pears and add them to the pan just
before the liquid boils. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer the
fruit gently for about 30 minutes or until the prunes and pears are
quite tender.
Taste the liquor and add extra sugar, if
necessary, then remove the vanilla pod. Serve the fruit warm or allow it
to cool before serving with cream.
