inside LG15

Hi Everyone! I had a great Christmas with my sister, my nieces, my grandmother, my aunt, my cousins…whew! We had a smaller gathering this year so we decided to not do the traditional dinner (Turkey, Ham, Dressing, etc…). Instead, we had BBQ Tri-tip marinated in teriyaki, baked potatoes, home made sourdough-garlic bread and corn on the cob. We drank wine and dined on one long table with a formal table cloth and ate by candle light. It was really beautiful, and I am so grateful.

We had the traditional pumpkin and apple pies for dessert but I decided to try something a bit different and made Cranberry Poached Pears. They were a hit!

Well here is a picture of me showing my Aunt Helen the infamous Christmas Pears:

Unfortunately the ambiance is a bit spoiled by the container of Knudson’s Sour Cream and A-1 Sauce on the table LOL but it really was nice…you just had to be there!

Cranberry Poached Pears

Serves 8

* 8 small pears, such as Seckel or Forelle, peeled, stems intact
* 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 1 large strip (4 to 5 inches) orange peel
* 1 large strip (4 to 5 inches) lemon peel
* 5 tablespoons honey
* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (I used 1tsp of vanilla extract)
* 2 3/4 cups (10 ounces) fresh cranberries
* 1 tea bag, such as green tea or fruit tea

1. Place pears in a saucepan large enough to hold them snugly. Add enough water to barely cover them (about 4 cups). Add sugar, cinnamon, citrus peels, honey, and lemon juice. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape vanilla seeds into pan, and toss in pod. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat, and simmer gently until pears are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add fresh cranberries, and simmer until cranberries are soft but not mushy, about 3 minutes more.
3. Use a spoon to transfer pears to a dish. Spoon cranberries and syrup around pears. Add tea bag and dried cranberries if using. Let cool for 15 minutes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
4. Before serving, remove vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, citrus peels, and tea bag. Transfer pears to plates with some of the cranberries, syrup, and a dollop of yogurt, creme fraiche, or cheese (I used whipped cream).

There was so much of the juice/syrup and cranberries left over, so we poured some over vanilla ice ice cream Oh man! It was superb if I do say so myself.

Happy New Year Everyone

xoxo
Jerry

*Thanks Jerry! It looks like a wonderful holiday. I am definitely going to try this recipe. It sounds delicious! - Amanda

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 at 4:33 pm and is filed under Fan stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.