Poached Pears in Pomegranate Sauce

 CONTEST CLOSED -- Winner announced soon!

Welcome to our Hanukkah Blog Party, hosted by Leah of Cook Kosher and Miriam of Overtime Cook. It's traditional on Hanukkah to eat fried treats, most notably donuts and latkes, and we've got a fabulous array of Hanukkah themed recipes, treats and crafts from Jewish bloggers all over the world! Continue reading after my recipe for links to all of the delicious treats!

















Of course, being the maverick I am, my contribution is not fried.  Fried foods are great, don't get me wrong (just fry me up some sufganiyot  and we'll call it square).  It's just that after several days of partying, a seasonal yet semi-healthy non-fried alternative is quite welcome.   Did you know that, according to that renowned Ayurvedic site Wikipedia, pomegranates have been used for thousands of years to help stop nose bleeds?  Of course, it was probably a bit painful to press a pomegranate up your nose ... but I digress ...

Turns out that December is National Pear Month!  Who knew?  By an amazing coincidence I was planning to make this pear dessert anyway ... now I can celebrate TWO events at once! 

Pomegranate molasses is another name for pomegranate syrup.  If pomegranate molasses is not available in your area, make your own by simply boiling down pomegranate juice until the syrup is very thick, or whip up a batch of The Kosher Gastronome's version.

White wine used in the recipe, mostly because I wanted to use up leftover wine.   All water instead is fine.  I haven't tried this recipe with a sweet dessert wine ... try it and let me know how it tastes.

Poached pears stay firm, yet tender enough to be eaten with a spoon unpeeled (the pears, not the spoon). 

















I'm not sure why, but although poached pears are rather easy to make, everyone thinks they are a complicated gourmet treat.   Serve warm or chilled straight out of the fridge.  I prefer using pistachio nuts as a garnish, but almonds, as you can see, work just as well.  However you serve them, let your friends think you cooked all day making this as a home-made gift for them.  You're welcome.

Poached Pears in Pomegranate Sauce
Serves 4

1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup white wine (or 1/2 cup water)
4 lemon rind strips
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
4 Bosc pears
additional wine or water (if needed)
whipped topping, (garnish)
4 tsp. chopped nuts such as pistachios or almonds (garnish)

Whisk together the honey, sugar, pomegranate molasses, wine or water, lemon rind  and cardamon in a 2-quart saucepan.   Add cinnamon stick. Place the saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a simmer.














Meanwhile, core the pears from the bottom; leave stems intact.  Carefully lay pears on their sides in the simmering liquid.  Poach pears uncovered for 10 minutes, then use tongs to carefully flip pears; continue to poach for another 10 minutes or until pears are tender (will pierce easily with a fork or table knife).  Syrup will thicken slightly; it will continue to thicken as it chills, so if it starts getting syrupy at this point, stir in additional wine or water a tablespoon at a time.  Remove from heat.  Discard cinnamon stick and lemon rind strips.

If serving chilled, transfer pears and syrup to a covered container and refrigerate, otherwise cover saucepan and keep warm up to 1/2 hour.














Just before serving, transfer pears into dessert bowls or plates.  Stir syrup; if too thick, stir in a tablespoon or two of wine or water to thin it enough for drizzling.  Spoon sauce evenly over pears.

Just a warning...whipped topping melts on warm pears.















 Garnish with whipped topping and/or chopped nuts, if desired, before serving.
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And now for the party details!  To help get everyone into party mode, we have a bunch of fabulous new cookbooks to give away! Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win one of:

2 copies of Susie Fishbein's new Kosher By Design Cooking Coach (sponsored by Artscroll)
2 copies of Leah Schapira's Fresh and Easy Kosher Cooking (sponsored by Artscroll)
2 copies of Esther Deutch's CHIC Made Simple (sponsored by the author)

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Sunday, December 16th. Limit one entry per person per blog, so visit the other blogs for extra chances to win!

Prizes can only be shipped within the US. Entries must be accompanied by a valid email address in order to qualify.

How to enter: Visit the blogs listed. Then come back here and leave a comment saying which is your favorite Hanukkah-themed food and why.  Note that not all the blogs contain exclusively kosher recipes. Please use your own discretion while perusing. 

 This is the second of many fabulous Holiday Blog Parties. If you would like to be added to the mailing list to participate in future parties, please email holidayblogparties@gmail.com

Don't forget to stop by these other blogs to check out their Hanukkah Themed Recipes:

Latkes:

Jamie from Joy of Kosher made Zucchini Latkes with Tzatziki
Susan from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen made Squash and Potato Latkes
Samantha from The Little Ferraro Kitchen made Ruby Red Beet Latkes with Cumin
Nechamah from TIforOA Food Ideas made Healthy Oatmeal Latkes
Liz from The Lemon Bowl made Traditional Potato Latkes
Melanie from From Fast Food to Fresh Food made (I Can't Believe They're Crispy!) Baked Latkes
Laura from Mother Would Know made Three Variations of Sweet and Savory Latkes
Sarah from Crispy Bits and Burnt Ends made Kimchee Latkes
Shulie from Food Wanderings made Baked Panko Sweet Potato Leek Latkes

Donuts and Desserts:

Miriam from Overtime Cook made Shortcut Cannoli with Chocolate Mousse Filling
Leah from Cook Kosher made 5 Minute Donuts
Estee from The Kosher Scoop made Tropical Fruit Fritters
Melinda from Kitchen-Tested made Sweet Steamed Buns
Amy from What Jew Wanna Eat made Homemade Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Gelt
Avidan from Baking It Up As I Go Along made Orange Olive Oil Cake
Tali from More Quiche Please made Glazed Chocolate Donut Holes
Amital from Organized Jewish Home made Mom's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Princess Lea from The Frumanista made Túrógombóc
Stephanie and Jessica from The Kosher Foodies made Beignets
Gigi from Gigi's Kitchen made Bunuelos: Mini Powdered Cheese Donuts
Esther from Esther O Designs made Edible Menorahs
Patti from No Bacon Here made Hanukkah Oreo Balls
Shoshana from Couldn't Be Parve made Churros con Chocolate
Shaindy from My Happily Hectic Life made Inside Out Apple Crisp
Eve from Gluten Free Nosh made Gluten-Free Hanukkah Sugar Cookies
Amy from Baking and Mistaking made Mini Cream-Filled French Beignets
Sarah from Food, Words, Photos made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Victoria from Itsy Bitsy Balebusta made Pure Vanilla Donuts
Vicky and Ruth from May I Have That Recipe made Dulce de Leche and Eggnog cream filled mini sufganiot
Dena from Oh You Cook (that's me!) made Poached Pears in Pomegranate Sauce
Michele from Kosher Treif Cooking made Tiramisu Cheessecake
Sharon from FashionIsha made Sparkly Chanukah Cookies
Yosef from This American Bite made Garlic, Zaatar and Olive Oil Popcorn

Appetizers, Soups, Sauces, Drinks and other Hanukkah Food:

Laura from Pragmatic Attic made Caramel Spice Applesauce
Jessie from Bread and Butter made Honey Spiced Hanukkah Martini
G6 from Guess Who's Coming 2 Dinner made Sweet Potato Leek Soup
Claire from I Love Soup made Sweet Potato, Coconut & Lemongrass Soup
Jennifer from Juanita's Cocina made Kugel
Liz from Kosher Like Me made Ready, Stuff Roll!
Shelley from The Kosher Home made Hanukkah Crafts and Printables

Comments

  1. I am loving this healthy take on a sweet treat! If I were to host Hanukah dinner, this dish would definately be my dessert to serve.

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  2. Caramel Sufganiyot! Yum! Yum! Yum!

    So glad you joined the blog party – can’t wait to see how you used the printables to decorate your home!

    http://thekosherhome.com/chanukah-sameach/

    Shelley from The Kosher home!

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  3. This recipe is sooooo beautiful and I love pears. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. The pears look utterly delicious. So happy I just bought a bottle of pomegranate molasses, as I was still wondering what to use for. Now I know! Thank you.

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  5. I was wowed by the edible jello menorah, but everything looks amazing!

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  6. Everything here looks so good! I am hooked on potato latkes -- why? Because they are made with potatoes and I love potato-anything!
    Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net

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  7. love poached pears and the cool spin with the pomegranate sauce sounds delicious. thanks for this great recipe! gigi. food and beauty blogger @ www.gigikkitchen.blogspot.com

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  8. This looks really good! My favorite chanukah treat is definitely donuts!

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  9. WOw - they look pretty and delicious!

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  10. I love donuts, any donuts!

    THese look delicious and probably a lot better for me than donuts!

    Thanks for joining!

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  11. I love poached pears, and these look especially yummy with the whipped cream slathered on top.

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  12. These pears look yummy. I've made a version before, and it's a Shabbat dessert we love.

    Can I say I love my Mom's sugar cookies are my favorite?

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  13. I loved poached pears! I can even get some of my kids to eat them sometimes

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  14. I've never thought of combining pears and pomegranates like this before.

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  15. I love the chocolate coins myself... Chocolate is good regardless of theme!

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  16. I must admit: never tried a pear dessert, so this will be the first for me....

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