Pears in vanilla syrup

Squeeze the juice of two lemons into a large bowl and add roughly a glass of water.

Peel and core the pears, cut them in quarters and drop them into the lemon water.

In a large pan, put half a litre of water, about 200 grams of sugar and the vanilla sugar, and wait for the sugar to dissolve.

Add the pears gently, then the lemon water strained through a sieve to catch the seeds.

Bring to the boil over medium to high heat, then lower to a very gentle simmer for five to ten minutes, until a thin knife meets no resistance; here about eight minutes.

Lift the fragile pears gently into a clean bowl and strain the syrup over them through a sieve lined with paper towel for a clear syrup.

Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, ideally overnight; serve cold.