Sweet-tart Bosc pears and dried apricots simmer in a fragrant mixture of wine, honey, cloves, and vanilla.
INGREDIENTS (for 4 servings):
- 4 Bosc pears
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 dried apricots
- 2 (3 x 1/2-inch) lemon rind strips
- 1 (3-inch) piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1 whole clove
- 4 reduced-calorie vanilla wafers, crushed
- 5 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios, toasted and divided
PREPARATION:
Peel and core pears, leaving stems intact. Slice about 1/4 inch from base of each pear so it will sit flat.
Combine water and next 7 ingredients (water through clove) in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Add pears; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Remove pears and apricots from cooking liquid using a slotted spoon; chill pears and apricots. Bring cooking liquid to a boil; cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 15 minutes). Strain cooking liquid through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Chill.
Chop apricots. Combine apricots, wafer crumbs, and 1 tablespoon pistachios. Stuff about 2 tablespoons apricot mixture into each pear cavity. Place pears in each of 4 bowls. Spoon 1/4 cup syrup over each pear; sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon pistachios.
Reprinted with permission of Cooking Light® magazine. All rights reserved.CALORIES 251 (22% from fat); FAT 6g (sat 0.7g, mono 3.4g, poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 3.4g; CARB 51.5g; FIBER 6.0g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 1.7mg; SODIUM 24mg; CALC 41mg