Lemon & Vanilla Scented Poached Pears

Serves 4

Ingredients

Poaching Liquid:

4 bosc pears, firm

¾ cup cane sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 cinnamon stick

½ inch vanilla bean, split

enough water to cover pears

Sauce:

½ cup dark chocolate chips

3 tablespoons milk of choice

Garnish:

½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Photo cred: Karina Strobl

Directions

Peel pears, keeping stems on.  Slice off the bottoms of the pears so that they can stand up on a plate.

In a pot, add in pears, sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Cover with enough water to submerge the pears. Bring to a gentle simmer and let pears poach for 20 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife.

While the pears are poaching, toast your hazelnuts in a 250°F oven, being careful not to burn them, approximately 10 minutes. When cool, chop and set aside.

To melt your chocolate and make the sauce, combine chocolate and milk in a small pot on stove on gentle heat, stirring occasionally. You can also do this in a microwave, heating in 15 second intervals until melted.

To serve, spoon some chocolate sauce on a plate, top with a pear and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle some hazelnuts around and enjoy!

Tip: save your poaching liquid to use as a simple syrup in cocktails or other recipes.