POACHED PEARS WITH ROSEWATER, ANISE AND GINGER

Poached Pears with Rosewater, Anise and Ginger image

Provided by Geoffrey Zakarian

Categories dessert

Time 50m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

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375 milliliters (1/2 bottle) Muscat wine
Two 12-ounce bottles ginger beer
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon rosewater
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
5 black peppercorns
3 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Kosher salt
4 firm Anjou, Bartlett or Bosc pears, peeled
Ice cream, for serving, optional

Steps:

Place a medium pot over medium heat and pour in the wine, ginger beer, lemon juice, rosewater and 1 cup water. Add the ginger, peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean seeds and pod. Stir in a pinch of salt and whisk to combine.
Carefully place the pears in the pot, then cover with a circle of parchment paper to keep the pears submerged. Bring to just below a simmer and poach until tender, 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size and firmness of your pears.
Remove the pears from the pot and simmer the liquid to reduce by at least half, about 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and spices. Serve the pears warm with a drizzle of the reduced poaching liquid and some ice cream if desired.