This recipe is so simple you can make it on a weekday and so elegant you can serve it to guests. In addition to supplying several vitamins and minerals, pears also provide fiber for healthy digestion as well as other beneficial plant compounds.
3 slightly under-ripe Anjou pears
10 prunes
1 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
1 vanilla bean
2 strips lemon peel (organic preferred)
1 1/4 cups water
Ground cinnamon for garnish
1. Peel pears and place in a heavy pot. Add the other ingredients except for ground cinnamon.
2. Cover tightly and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender (test by piercing the centers of the pears with a knife; if it passes easily, they’re cooked).
3. Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Serve warm or chilled.
Yields: 3 servings
Source: Adapted from Spices of Life by Nina Simonds (Knopf)
