Pears Add A Touch Of Elegance

For an elegant yet easy holiday dessert, serve Chocolate Glazed Pears and Poached Pears in Orange Syrup. Poaching fruit in a sugar syrup allows the fruit to cook while retaining its shape. Adding citrus to the mixture prevents discoloration and heightens the overall flavor.

Chocolate Glazed Pears are poached, then dipped in melted chocolate. Poached Pears in Orange Syrup are soaked in orange-flavored brandy. The pears’ elongated shape gives them an elegant look, and their dense flesh make them ideal for poaching.

Chocolate Glazed Pears

3 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1 (2-inch) lemon peel twist

6 pears

6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate

2 tablespoons shortening

Combine water, sugar and lemon peel twist in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.

Pare pears and trim slightly to level bottom. Remove core from blossom end, leaving stem intact.

Add pears to poaching liquid; reduce heat. Cover and simmer gently about 8 to 10 minutes or until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife; turn and baste occasionally.

Remove pears from liquid; stand on flat dish. Cool.

Melt chocolate and shortening over very low heat. Dry pears with paper towels. Holding each pear carefully by the stem, spoon chocolate mixture over pear to coat. Let stand in cool place to set chocolate. Arrange pears on serving dish.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 333 calories, 4 grams protein, 20.5 grams fat (55 percent fat calories), 46 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 8 grams fiber, 8 milligrams sodium.

Poached Pears in Orange Syrup

3-1/2 cups water

1/2cup orange juice

3/4 cup sugar

6 pears

1/3 cup orange peel, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons orange liqueur or brandy

Combine water, orange juice and sugar in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.

Pare pears and trim slightly to level bottom. Remove core from blossom end, leaving stem intact. Add pears to poaching liquid; reduce heat. Cover and simmer gently about 8 to 10 minutes or until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife; turn and baste occasionally.

Remove pears, reserving 2 cups poaching liquid; stand on flat dish. Cool.

Add orange peel to reserved poaching liquid. Boil uncovered for 20 minutes or until peel is tender and poaching liquid is thickened and reduced to 1 cup. Stir in orange liqueur. Spoon warm orange peel mixture over cooled pears. Chill until served.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 203 calories, 1 gram protein, 0.6 grams fat (3 percent fat calories), 50 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 4 grams fiber, 5 milligrams sodium.