Prosecco & Creme de Cassis Poached Pears With Lavender

After using the lavender flowers with the strawberry risotto, I was totally stimulated in using them again for another dish.   I wanted something sweet this time.  My eyes landed on my kids' remaining pears in the kitchen fruit bowl.  They are their fruit of the moment & the only kind they recognize apart from the occasional strawberries that we buy. 

Conscience-smitten but continuing on because of curiosity, I checked around the internet if my idea was plausible. Gathering my ingredients, I happened upon a bottle of Creme de Cassis, a remnant of my last forage of something special while in France.  It is a dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants.  Mainly used for the French cocktail kir, it seemed to be a good candidate to replace the juice the recipe was asking for.  I did some modificatons to the recipe that I found fitting as to how I want the pears cooked. 

It is ambrosial, worthy of all positive adjectives.   It's reminiscent of the preserved peaches that was cooked in white wine that we bought once from a small local producer of a town we visited.  Only these pears have a more intense taste that the Creme de Cassis induced.  My kids tried it and left me with just bits to relish.  They practically polished off the whole plate!   I did another batch that night with enough pears for the whole family to enjoy.  This is really worthy of your time & effort.  If you cannot find the Creme de Cassis, substitute it with blackcurrant or raspberry syrup. 

Leaving the pears whole, just peeled, is more appealing.  In fact, that's how most people poach their pears.  I would like to do that too but I have the need to see what is in store for me inside the fruit. I don't like seeing nature's surprises after I cook the pears.  They're less beautiful but at least I have the peace of mind that there are no other living things inside them.

The next time I do this recipe, I will do more to bottle & preserve.  Just cook the liquid less to maintain a watery syrup and bottle the pears with it.

Prosecco & Creme de Cassis Poached Pears With Lavender

Ingredients:
Serves 2

• 2 big pears or 4 small pears, halved lengthwise, cored & peeled
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups prosecco
• 1/2 cup creme de cassis (can be substituted with blackcurrant or raspberry syrup)
• a bunch of lavender

Directions:

1. Peel & core the pears but don't remove the stem.  
2. In a medium saucepan, pour the prosecco.  When it starts to boil, add the sugar & Creme de Cassis.  Simmer.
3. Add the pears by placing them flat on the saucepan, submerged in the liquid.  Cook for about 5 minutes then add the fresh lavender leaving about a couple for later.  
4. Cook until the pears are tender.  You can check by piercing them with a sharp knife.  
5. Take away the pears and place them on the serving plates.  
6. Add the remaining lavender in the liquid and cook it longer until it becomes thick.  
7. Pour on top of the pears.