Tea Poached Pears

Looking for a tasty dessert that isn't laden with empty calories? Try these marvelous tea poached pears! They're here just in time for Pear Month!Ingredients:

• 4 pears, peeled, cored, and halved
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 bags of chamomile or green tea
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Bring the water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a deep saucepan. Add the pears and tea bags and poach until the pears are tender, about 12 minutes. Turn the pears with a spoon to ensure even cooking.
2. Transfer pears to a plate; discard tea bags.
3. Simmer the liquid until reduced to 1 cup. Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water and stir that water into the simmering liquid. After mixture has thickened, strain it, stir in vanilla extract, and let cool.
4. Spoon sauce over each pear and serve.

Nutrition Information:This recipe makes 4 servings of 1 pear each. Each serving contains 190 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, and 0 mg of sodium. It also has 34 grams of sugars, 4 grams of fiber, 46 grams of carbohydrates, and 1 gram of protein.Cook’s Notes:

• Mix up the flavor profile by using lime juice instead of lemon juice.
• You can also replace 1/4 tablespoon of the vanilla with 1/8 tablespoon almond extract.

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