Pears in Sweet Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

4 ripe, unblemished pears
1 lemon
1 cup water
5-1" lumps of Chinese golden rock sugar (or 5 tbsp granulated sugar)
3 tbsp maple syrup
1-2" piece cinnamon stick
6 thick slices of peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 cup Shao hsing (or dry sherry)

Cut the pears in quarters lengthwise. Core them, remove the stems, coat with the juice from half the lemon, and set aside. Put remaining ingredients, except the wine, in a large saucepan (don't forget about the juice from the other half of the lemon). Bring to a boil. Add the wine and the pears and bring to a boil again. Simmer over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until tender. Remove the pears and keep warm. Strain the sauce into a small skillet, and cook over a high heat to reduce the sauce to a syrup. Pour over the pears and serve.