Poached Pears With Gingerbread Cider Syrup

Total Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 cups apple cider
• 2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 3 slices lemon peel
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 firm ripe bosc pears, cored from the bottom and peeled with stems intact
• ground cinnamon

Recipe

• 1 mix cider, brandy, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, lemon peel, lemon juice, and ginger in deep 2-quart saucepan just large enough to hold the pears. bring to a boil. reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. add pears; cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until just tender when pierced.
• 2 remove pears from saucepan, reserving liquid. stand pears upright in bowl; cool. cover. refrigerate until ready to serve.
• 3 meanwhile, bring reserved liquid to boil in same saucepan. cook on medium-high heat about 15 minutes or until syrupy. strain and cool. cover. refrigerate until ready to serve.
• 4 to serve, stand pears on individual dessert plates. spoon some of the syrup over each pear. sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.