Poached Pears in Spiced Cranberry Juice

INGREDIENTS:

• Long-stalked pears* 5-6

• Del Monte cranberry juice 800ml

• Red wine 500ml

• Lemon juice 1pc

• Lemon peel 1pc

• Caster sugar 140g

• Star anise 5 pieces

• Cinnamon 2 sticks

• Cloves 30

*Don't not pick overripe pears

SAUCE:

• Mascarpone cheese 100g

• Light cream 200g

• Frosting 25g

• Nuts (chopped) to taste

STEPS:

1. Combine the cranberry juice, red wine, lemon juice, sugar, star anise, cinnamon and cloves in a tall pan and grind in the lemon zest. Cook over medium-low heat until smoking.

2. While the cranberry juice is cooking, peel and halve the long-stemmed pears.

3. Add the pears to the spiced cranberry sauce and cook over a low heat for 15-25 minutes (15 minutes for riper pears, 20-25 minutes for raw pears).

4. Allow to cool and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight to allow the pears to absorb the aroma.

5. Remove all the spices from the cranberry sauce and cook over a medium heat until the liquid thickens to a syrup-like consistency.

6. Remove the Mascarpone cheese and light cream from the fridge, place in a tall bowl, sift in the icing and beat with an electric whisk until smooth.

7. Serve on a plate with a layer of cheese cream, top with two pear steaks, drizzle with cranberry syrup and sprinkle with chopped nuts.