LEMON-ANISE POACHED PEARS

Yield: 8 servings
Source: "The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook"
Book info: http://tgcmagazine.com/bin/track/click.cgi?id=37

INGREDIENTS

- 1 lemon
- 8 firm-ripe pears, such as Bosc or Anjou
(8 to 9 ounces each), peeled and cored
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 whole star anise or 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 1 small orange, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

From lemon, with vegetable peeler, remove 3 strips
(3" by 3/4" each) peel; squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. In nonreactive
8-quart saucepot, combine pears, lemon peel, water, sugar, and star
anise; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer
until pears are tender, about 30 minutes.

With slotted spoon, transfer pears to large bowl. Stir lemon
juice into bowl with pears. Strain syrup through sieve into
separate large bowl. Return syrup to saucepot.

Heat syrup to boiling over high heat; cook, uncovered, until reduced
to 3 cups, about 15 minutes. Pour hot syrup over pears. Cover and
refrigerate, turning occasionally, until pears are well chilled, at
least 6 hours. Serve pears with syrup, garnished with orange slices.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories: About 236, Protein: 1 g, Carbohydrate: 61 g,
Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 1 mg