Red Wine Poached Pear with Mascarpone and Candied Almonds

This simple yet decadent recipe was created by Chef John Van House of Murray’s Restaurant in Minneapolis, MN.

Ingredients

• Poached Pears
• 6 Bosc USA Pears
• 1 750 ml bottle red table wine
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons Chinese Five Spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• Mascarpone Filling
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup candied sliced almonds, such as Almond Accents® Honey Roasted Sliced Almonds

Directions

Peel pear and core from the bottom to extract core and seeds.

In a saucepan, combine wine, granulated sugar, five spice, cinnamon and cloves. Add pears and just enough wine to cover pears. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until pears are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove pears and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill.

Simmer wine mixture until reduced to a syrupy consistency.

Whip mascarpone, cream, powdered sugar and almond extract on high speed until mixture forms firm peaks.

To serve: Spoon 2 tablespoons mascarpone filling into center of each pear. Place on dessert plates. Spoon 2 tablespoons mascarpone around bottom of pears. Drizzle 2 tablespoons slightly warm wine syrup over each pear. Garnish with candied almonds and serve immediately.

yield: Makes 6