Honey Lavender Wine Poached Pears

Pears poached in a honey lavender white wine syrup with creamy honey lavender mascarpone cheese and crunchy cinnamon roasted almond slices on top. It’s a perfect blend of all those things that make a dreamy dessert: sweet, soft, elegant, creamy, with a bit of something crunchy for contrast.

If I could only have one dessert for the rest of my life, I think this would be it. I know, it’s not chocolate and I’m a HUGE chocoholic. I know, it’s not cake, or cheesecake, or pie … at one time in my life, I was convinced I was not very partial to pears. It’s hard for me to even believe that now. I would have to say: this one, this is it. If I died tomorrow, I would die happy with just one more bite of this on my lips.

I don’t normally say things like that, but seriously, there is something magical that happens, culinarily, when pears are poached (or roasted! oh don’t even get me started on how wonderful they are when roasted!) The other bit of magic happens in the syrup for this dessert because fresh lavender (yes, lavender leaves, you don’t have to wait for the silly plant to flower) adds an earth magic taste to the syrup that blends with the poached pear oh so perfectly.

Now, the pears with the lavender syrup are fabulous, but when you add the creamy wonderful honey lavender mascarpone and the light crunch of the cinnamon roasted almond slices, that’s when the angels start to sing. I’m not kidding, I swear, I heard them singing when I took my first bite. Well, that was my experience when I tasted this … let me know if you hear them when you taste yours. I seriously hope they will sing for you too. Culinarily speaking, I mean. Your tongue will tell you on your very first bite. Make sure to get a bit of pear, a bit of mascarpone and a slice or two of those crunchy almonds. Then, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and take in all the flavors happening in your mouth. And take a moment to listen … and maybe you’ll hear them, maybe you won’t. Whatever you hear, I hope it brings you joy.

Honey Lavender White Wine Poached Pears

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 - 8 servings 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 – 6 ripe pears
• 1 1/2 cups white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• A small sprig of fresh lavender

For the filling:

• 4 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 1 oz. light cream cheese
• 1 oz. vanilla Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons of the lavender wine syrup (after reduction)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh lavender leaves

For the top: Cinnamon roasted almonds or pecans (recipe here)

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Instructions

1. Set the cheeses for the filling at room temperature to soften them.
2. Peel the pears carefully, leaving stems intact. Slice in half vertically, then use a melon baller to neatly remove the core. Set the pears aside.
3. In a large saucepan, mix the wine, vanilla, honey and sugar. Add the cinnamon stick and lavender and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, gently add the pears, and simmer for 10 minutes, then flip the pears to poach the other side. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the pears are fork-tender.
4. Remove from heat and let the pears bathe in the lovely liquid for about 30 minutes, then using a slotted spoon, gently remove the pears from the pan and bring the wine mixture back to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or so or until the syrup is reduced by about half.
5. Once the syrup is done, make the filling: stir together the mascarpone, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, wine syrup, honey, and chopped lavender. Get out the mixer and quickly whip the cheese mixture until it’s fluffy and everything is well mixed.
6. Set your pears on serving plates. Add a small spoonful of the mascarpone filling to the hole in each pear half, drizzle with a bit of the lavender wine syrup, then add cinnamon roasted almond slices on top. Garnish with fresh lavender and edible flowers, if desired.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2014, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 - 2 poached pear halves

This recipe was shared at Mostly Homemade Monday, Munching Monday, Treasure Box Tuesday, Simple Supper Tuesday, Tuesday’s Table, What to Do Weekends, Foodie Friends Friday, The Gathering Spot and Hearth & Soul Bloghop.