Recipe: Poached pears
Impress your guests with this beautiful and tasty dessert.
This is one of the most elegant treats, and it is so easy to prepare. Serve it with a swoosh of low-fat Greek yogurt or a scoop of ice cream.
STEP ONE
Peel the pears and then cut them in half from top to bottom. Use a spoon to remove just the seed ball. Place the pears in a medium-size pot just big enough to hold them. Add the lemon halves, juice, vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves and place the pot over medium heat. When the liquid just begins to steam, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 45 minutes and then test the pears to see if they are cooked. They should be tender but not falling apart.
STEP TWO
When the pears are cooked, remove them from the liquid with a slotted spoon and set them aside. Reduce the liquid by cooking it over medium heat until it begins to thicken just a little, about 15 minutes. Return the pears to the liquid and allow to cool.
STEP THREE
Serve each person two pear halves drizzled with a little of the poaching liquid. Finish it off with the low-fat yogurt, sour cream, or ice cream topping of your choice.
Text adapted from the National Geographic Kids Cookbook by Barton Seaver