A Tribute with Pears

This recipe is a twist on one I took from A's Great Aunt B. Great Aunt B was an amazing woman and one of my absolute favorite people who I feel very privileged to have met. Sadly, she passed away this year, making the world a little less nicer to live in. Before we officially moved to Orlando, I was lucky enough to live with Great Aunt B for a few months while A was finishing up things in South Florida. During that time, she showed me a recipe for curried fruit that was absolutely delicious. It was warm, sweet, spicy and drizzled all over vanilla ice cream. I never thought of making a dessert with curry and fruit together, but as I was researching it on the internet I discovered this dish is actually very southern. Who knew? (I honestly would never have guessed since curry seems so exotic for the South). It did sound a bit strange to me at first, but it really is one of the best desserts I've had. So, here's to Great Aunt B! This recipe is typically made with a can of fruit cocktail (which is equally delicious), but I decided to use fresh pears and a little less sugar to make a guilt-free version.

Curry Poached Pears

2 firm pears, peeled, halved and cored
2 cups water (OR 1 cup water and 1 cup of good white wine)
1/2-1 cup brown sugar (I don't like it as sweet, but some may)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp curry powder

To prepare the poaching liquid, bring the water (or water/wine mixture) and brown sugar to a boil then lower heat to about medium. Add cinnamon, ginger powder and curry powder. Keep it on a low rolling boil for about 5-7 minutes until everything is dissolved and mixed together. The liquid should be a little thicker, but not syrupy. Next place pears with flat halved side down. Poach pears for about 30-40 minutes (depending on how firm your pears are), flipping them half way through so the whole pear gets poached evenly. The pears should be fork tender. Once they are done, let them cool for several minutes. Then serve with vanilla ice cream and toasted walnuts.