Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Step 2

Combine the orange juice, jam, wine, sugar, lemon juice and peel in a 9- by 13-inch ceramic or metal baking dish; stir to combine.

Step 3

Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the mixture and add the pod. Stir in the cranberries. Nestle the pears in the sauce.

Step 4

Bake until the pears are tender, and the liquid is thick and syrupy, about 40 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and let it stand for about 10 minutes (if the sauce is still too liquid, you can return the pan to the bottom part of the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes or transfer the sauce to a skillet to reduce it on the stovetop).

Step 5

Remove and discard the lemon peel and the vanilla bean. Serve it while still warm, over ice cream.