Poached Pears with whipped cream

Poached Pears with Dollop Whipped Cream

2 1/2 cups red wine (syrah and zinfandel work well)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 3x1 strips orange peel
1 3x1 strip lemon peel
4 medium sized pears (peeled carefully with stems intact)
1whole star anise

1 cup Heavy whipping cream
2 tblsps granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cooking Instructions
Combine wine,sugar, orange juice, orange peel, lemon peel, star anise and 1 cup of water in medium sized saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Add pears and reduce heat so that wine mixture is simmering.
Occasionally rotate pears, until tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
Transfer pears to plate and set aside.
Strain poaching liquid into small saucepan, discarding solids into a strainer.
Set saucepan over med high heat and stir occasionally, until poaching liquid is syrup and reduced to 3/4 cup.


whip cream until soft peaks form
add sugar and vanilla and beat again until peaks return
do not over beat
it is best to use cold cream and the whipped cream can be prepared and refrigerated up to 2 hours before serving.

place pears on plates and drizzle with the reduction. ether top with whipped cream or place a dollop on the side of each pear.

- My mom introduced me to poached pears and it is one of my absolute favorite desserts.
- You can substitute greek yogurt in place of whipped cream for a healthier twist.  (ix greek yogurt with honey and vanilla bean until creamy).
- This dessert is rich and satisfying but doesn't overkill and isn't too rich or too heavy. In my opinion it is pretty much the perfect ending to almost any meal. it's pretty hard to mess up too.
-  You can add more or less citrus depending on your taste.  I add a little ore than the recipe because I love the crispness/sourness of citrus flavor. I think it helps balance out the sweetness of the pears and the whipped cream.

- I won't be cooking much for the next few days. But I will be around many talented chefs and cooks during this time.  Hopefully I will come back with some good recipes.