Marta Orlikowska is an artisan cook, poet and founder of a small knitwear studio, based in Poland. By prioritising slow, mindful pursuits, Marta subverts fast-moving, capitalist expectations. We asked Marta to create a recipe inspired by our smoky amber scent, Black Anise — resulting in these decadent, spiced poached pears.

The so called "perfect autumn dessert” — the combination of hot pear and cold ice cream.

I’ve made these wine poached pears with all kinds of spices. Poached pears are quite versatile, and it’s mostly about choosing what you like. Don’t be afraid to try new spices and flavour profiles that you’re not familiar with either.

The pears can be poached without sugar, if you don’t mind your pears not being too sweet. I always do. Adding sugar also helps to create the lovely sweet red wine syrup at the end when you serve this dish. The sugar helps to create a thick syrup without having to reduce the red wine too much.

The pears should be mostly submerged in the wine while poaching, so use a pot that will fit the pears fairly snugly.