Tonight I used very simple ingredients to make a very flavorful dish that makes a simple dessert, in a healthy way.
For the poaching liquid I used 1 cup of apple cider and the juice from two oranges.
Be sure to strain the juice from your oranges. You don’t want a rogue seed in your poaching liquid because it will be reduced down later and used as a sauce. I zested one orange into the pan.
Then in goes a cinnamon stick, one star anise pod, and four cardamom pods. If you don’t have these, use what you normally would to spice a cider.
Bosc pears are my pear of choice for poaching because they are pretty firm and hold their shape well.
Slice two pears in half and use a melon baller to remove the centers, and a knife to remove the stem portion. If you want very clean and fancy pears feel free to peel them.
Bring the poaching liquid to a boil. Place the pears cut side down in the liquid.
After 10 minutes, flip the pears in the pot.
10 more minutes on this side. If they are not tender after the 20 minutes, flip them again and test every few minutes.
Remove the pears and let them cool.
Remove the cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom and simmer until the liquid is a sauce like consistency.
Drizzle the sauce over the poached pears.
When they are totally cooled I like to fill them with mascarpone cheese and sprinkle them with toasted almonds.
Enjoy!
