As a 14-year-old budding dancer, I was obsessed with making steamed pears with Cool Whip topping sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. A tad more sophisticated in flavour, texture and colour, these Fenugreek-poached Pears are sublime sitting on a bed of Dessert Dukkah. The toasty maple characteristics of the fenugreek swirl on the tongue, but be mindful not to overtoast or you may have to start again.
Photo by Manja Wachsmuth, Spice Health Heroes
Serves 4
Ingredients
350g (12oz./1¾cups) granulated sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ cinnamon stick, toasted
2 allspice berries, toasted
½ tsp fenugreek seeds, lightly toasted (set aside then add to the poaching liquid with the fenugreek leaves)
3 fenugreek leaves, crushed
4 pears such as Bosc or Concorde, peeled and sanded* to remove lines but with stems still attached
60ml (¼ cup) dessert wine, e.g. Sauternes, Botrytis Semillon
or Riesling
2 strips lemon peel
Dessert Dukkah (see below), serve with yogurt, labneh or softly whipped cream (optional)
*Pear sanding tip: use a new, clean fine scrubbing cloth or a foam block nail file to gently smooth the pear. I learned this technique as an apprentice at the Culinary Olympics in Berlin-yes there really is an international Culinary Olympics!