#20 of 22: begun

The perfect pair?

#20: 1/22

My brother and I made poached pears for dessert. Pears aren’t a terribly exotic ingredient, but I don’t think I’ve ever used them before since I dislike their mealy texture. Poaching sounds a bit scary but it turns out to be super straightforward. Here’s how to do it:

1. Peel, core, and half five Bosc pears
2. Pour 1 cup of orange juice, ½ cup rum, 1 cup brown sugar, and 2 cinnamon sticks into a saucepan
3. Heat that mixture until it boils, then lower heat and stir until sugar has dissolved
4. Add pears to the saucepan. Cover and simmer 15-30 minutes – til pears are tender, but still firm – total time will just depend on the size of the pears
5. Remove pears from pan, cover and refrigerate to harden
6. While pears refrigerate, add ½ cup each of chopped walnuts and pecans to the saucepan
7. Heat and stir for 5-10 minutes so that sauce thickens and nuts are covered
8. Allow sauce to cool and thicken for 5-10 minutes.
9. Serve pear in a bowl of vanilla ice cream with sauce and nuts spooned on top

And you can just tell yourself it’s healthy because of the fruit and nuts. Duh.