Chardonnay Poached Pears with Buttery Caramel Sauce

Easter is three weeks away and Meg Dahmer with Pigtale Twist wants you to plan early.  She has recipes for an easy way to make the ham to a dessert perfect for spring! 

6 firm Bosch pears, blemish free and stems intact
2 cups chardonnay
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 lemons
1 package fresh mint
1 half pint fresh raspberries
1 jar Pigtale Twist Buttery Caramel Sauce

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Slice the bottom of each pear by only 1/8 inch or so, this will level the pears so they do not roll or tip over.  Peel the pears, leaving just a bit at the tops.  Fill a roasting pan with one inch of water, the juice of 2 lemons, the vanilla bean and the chardonnay.  Place the pears upright into the liquid immediately to prevent their flesh from turning brown.  Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil, taking care not to crush or damage the stems of the pears.  Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Remove the pears from the oven and discard the foil.  The pears may be served warm or they may be made the day before, chilled in the refrigerator on a cookie sheet lined with a clean tea towel and covered with plastic wrap.

Place one pear on each of six plates, or all six pears in a row on a lovely platter.  Drizzle each pear from the top with 1/3 cup Pigtale Twist Buttery Caramel Sauce.  Arrange the fresh raspberries around the bottom of the pear.  With a chopstick or skewer, poke a hole about a half inch deep into each pear top very close to the stem.  Insert a sprig of mint into the hole. 

For extra dazzle, place the pear into an Almond Florentine Tuile Cup or with a scoop of excellent vanilla gelato. This desert is perfect if you’re having a crowd! Pop a dozen pears in a pan & voile`!

Amount: 6 servings