Peel the pears and scoop out the flower bud on their bottoms.
Combine all but the pears in a large pot, stirring well til sugar dissolves. Add pears and simmer over medium low heat for 40 minutes, or until very soft. Turn the pears every so often to cook them evenly.
To serve, drizzle the pears with a bit of the pot's juice and pair the pears with vanilla ice cream. You can also drizzle them with chocolate sauce.
