Mulled Pears with Star Anise, Cinnamon, and Vanilla
Adapted from The New American Cooking by Joan Nathan (Knopf, 2005)
By Monica Bhide
August 2006
Serves 12
| 2 |
bottles inexpensive red Bordeaux wine |
| 1-2/3 |
cups sugar |
| 4 |
pieces whole cardamom |
| 1 |
vanilla stick, split and seeds removed |
| About the Chef |
| Award-winning writer and cookbook author Joan Nathan shares her love and recipes for star anise and za’atar. While these are somewhat unusual, you will not find a better guide than Joan on how to incorporate them into your dishes. Joan’s latest book, The New American Cooking (Knopf, 2005), has just won a James Beard Award. |
| 10 |
peppercorns |
| 6 |
cloves |
| 4 |
star anise |
| 12 |
Bosc pears, peeled and left whole |
| 1/2 |
cup roasted pecans or pine nuts |
|
Ice cream or whipped cream for garnish |
Bring the wine to a boil in a saucepan large enough to hold the pears in a single layer. Add the cardamom, vanilla pod and seeds, peppercorns, cloves, and star anise. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Submerge the pears in the liquid and continue simmering for another 25 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
Remove from the heat and leave the pears in the pot until ready to serve. When ready, remove and cut them in half. Serve one upside down and the other right side up, with a sprinkle of roasted pine nuts or pecans, and some whipped cream or ice cream. Some rustic ginger cookies would go well along the side.
Return to Top
