Warm Spiced Pears

by

This dessert will impress even the most critical dinner guest. It has exquisite presentation and elegance in spades. I’m rather fond of the warm spice flavors imparted by the cinnamon and cloves married with the sweet and sticky cranberry apple glaze. You really won’t believe this dessert doesn’t have any refined sugar! 

It is important to use firm, but ripe pears which is why I use Bosc. Not all pears are created equal, and if you use a softer pear like Comice or Bartlett your final product may be mushy. Be sure to be very gentle with the pears when you turn them in the glaze during the cooking process. If you are too rough with them it will start to remove the skin. Don’t get me wrong, it will still taste fantastic, but it won’t appear quite as sophisticated. I love making these pears for Christmas dinner and New Year’s Eve as they have such a rich and indulgent feel. You bet this will make an appearance on my holiday table, and I hope yours too! 

Warm Spiced Pears

Serves 4
Prep: 15 min
Cooking: 55 min 
Total: 1 hour 15 min
Intermediate  

Ingredients: 

4 Bosc pears, firm

¼ Cup apple cider vinegar, raw and unfiltered  

2 Cups water, filtered 

1 Cup cranberry juice, not from concentrate, no added sugar

¼ Cup honey 

½ tsp. Cinnamon 

2 Cloves 

2 Tbsp. Cultured butter (Dairy free: Earth balance butter, no soy) 

Method Of Prep: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Gather and prep ingredients.
  3. Grab a glass baking dish, butter the dish. To prep the pears, cut from the bottom. Carefully core with a paring knife just far up enough to remove seeds.
  4. Place a drizzle of honey in the cut-out space. Now add a teaspoon and a half of butter or butter alternative into hole on top of the honey drizzle.
  5. Stand upright in a baking dish.
  6. Add vinegar, water, cranberry juice, honey, cinnamon, and cloves to the baking dish with the pears.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes.
  8. Turn down the oven to 350°F. Bake for 45 minutes.
  9. Every 15 minutes baste (spoon the sauce in the bottom of the pan over the pears) in glaze. Periodically cautiously turn them on their sides and rotate 360° around in glaze, stand back up. Continue basting until baking time is up.
  10. Remove from the oven.
  11. Carefully take pears out of the baking dish and put them on to serving plates or bowls.
  12. Grab a small pot. Place glaze into pot and heat on medium high heat until glaze reduces and thickens, about 15 min.
  13. Spoon glaze over pears. Enjoy!    

                         

Nutrition Facts: 
Calories- 210
Carbs- 42.5 g
Protein- 0.5 g
Fat- 5.7 g