Poached Pears...Yumm!
I've finally got my groove back (so to speak) and have been experimenting 
with my pastry skills. Nothing fancy, just trying out new flavours and ideas for upcoming events.
Part of my return to T.O. includes my sisters' upcoming wedding in 2 weeks and I am going to take this opportunity and cater a few pastries for parties and maybe some take home goodies for the wedding reception!
I had a craving for pears this afternoon...and this led me to experiment with my love for yogurt. I am a huge fan of Greek yogurt - I eat it for breakfast everyday! This is one thing I cannot give up and it has to be authentic - flown in from Greece! (Yes, I have found some great stores that carry it!) Lucky me! It's hard enough to be away from Paris where I could get this from my corner grocer with no problem and half the cost...but ehh! oh, and the 10% fat content isn't really killing me or affecting my waistline...
So, I made poached pears...soaked in a nice Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and served over thick Greek yogurt. This makes a lighter dessert but you can substitute it for a nice Vanilla Bean ice cream. It's essential to use a nice ice cream here for maximum flavour. Here is what you'll need to serve 4:
250 ml red wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 large cinnamon stick
1 green cardamom pod
half grapefruit rind
Peel and quarter pears - leave the stems attached. Place side down into saucepan (don't overcrowd - they should be in a single layer). Pour over the wine, sugar, cinnamon stick and cardamom. Bring to a boil, add in grapefruit rind, cover and simmer for 15 min.
Remove pears (liquid should be reduced by half at this point) and set aside. Reduce the remaining liquid until it becomes very thick (about 5 min more...).
Fill four dessert glasses with yogurt and drizzle liquid around yogurt. Centre the fruit and garnish as desiered. Drizzle remaining liquid...Enjoy!
