Poached Pears with Ginger

These pears may be served warm or cool. Some fine accompaniments are high-quality vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche or whipped cream.

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Ingredients

1. 2 firm-ripe pears with stems intact
2. 3-4 cups / 720-960 ml water
3. ½ cup / 60 g sugar (preferable: raw, demerara, dark brown, or coconut)
4. ¼ cup / 60 ml Tawny Port or:
   • ¼ cup / 60 ml all-natural red grape juice + 1 tsp. brandy extract
5. 1½-inch/3¾-cm piece fresh gingerroot
6. 1-2 star anise, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, or a few cloves + pinch of cracked black pepper corns (optional)
7. 2 Tbsp. / 30 ml fresh-squeezed lemon, lime, and/or orange juice

Directions

1. Peel the ginger and slice thinly, then cut slices into strips. In a saucepan, simmer the ginger in a little water for 10 minutes; drain and set aside.
2. Add the water, sugar, port, lemon juice and gingerroot to a saucepan just large enough to hold the pears lying on their sides. You may also add the optional spices. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar.
3. Leaving the stems intact, peel the pears. If they do not stand upright on their own, cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear. (You want them to stand upright when served.) Lay each pear on its side in the liquid, and add up to another cup of water to cover, no more. Simmer, turning pears occasionally so they cook evenly, about 20-40 minutes. (Riper pears will cook faster.)
4. When tender, place pears in a bowl. Reduce the poaching liquid by boiling until it is about ¾ cup or 180 ml. Pour this syrup over the pears. You may make the pears up to 1 day ahead and serve cooled.

The pears may be served warm or cool. Some fine accompaniments are high-quality vanilla ice cream (½ cup / 66 g = 1 sweet exchange), crème fraîche (1-2 Tbsp. / 15-30 g = 1 fat exchange) or whipped cream (1 Tbsp. / 15 g = 1 fat exchange).

Serving size: ½ pear

Exchanges per Serving: 2 Carb, 0 Protein, 0 Fat

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