½cupsugar, granulated (you may want more; see recipe notes)
honey, to drizzle over the poached pears
½cupdried fruits and chopped nuts(cranberry, cherry, blueberry); pecans, walnuts
8ouncesMascarpone cheese
Instructions
Peel pears, cut into halves or quarters, remove core; place in a big bowl;
4 pears
In a large stockpot, add water, wine (optional), lemon juice, seasonings and sugar; bring to medium high heat (you need enough water to completely cover the pears)
juice of one large lemon, water, ½ cup red wine, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Add pear sections and place parchment paper over the top
Simmer, uncovered 20-25 minutes, or until pears are tender
Gently remove pears with slotted spoon and set aside
Top with Mascarpone cheese, chopped nuts, dried fruit and drizzle with honey
Notes
Add 1/2 cup of sugar to the poaching liquid. After it's warmed a bit taste it. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar.The temperature of the poaching liquid should be around 140º-180ºF (below 212ºF, which is boiling)A note about the nutritional information. The system I use for calculating the nutritional information doesn't determine the poaching liquid as a separate item.A pear has roughly 100 calores and 2-ounces of Mascarpone cheese has approximately 250, so the actual calorie intake is much less than indicated on the recipe card.