SPICED POACHED PEARS

4 Medium pears, peeled
½ Vanilla bean, quartered lengthwise
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Teaspoon cornstarch
2 Teaspoons minced candied ginger, or a pinch of ground ginger
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups water with sugar, lemon juice, ginger, cornstarch, cinnamon, and vanilla bean. Whisk to dissolve cornstarch. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Add the pears and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook pears, turning them over with a spoon occasionally, until they are tender when pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Raise heat to high and bring poaching liquid to a boil. Boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Cool, then pour over pears. Serve each pear with ¼ cup of the flavorful poaching liquid.

Serving size: 1 Pear, ¼ cup sauce
Calories: 70
Fat: 0.7 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 18 g
Protein: 0.6 g
Sodium: 0.6 mg

TIP: You can substitute the pears with peaches, apricots, or nectarines.

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