Marsala Poached Pears with Spiced Crème Fraîche

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Slow cooker desserts are the best stress-free option for dinner parties. This poached pear only gets sweeter when topped with a spoonful of cool creme fraiche on top.

Marsala Poached Pears with Spiced Crème Fraîche
Prep Time:
20 mins
Slow Cook Time:
1 hrs 30 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs 50 mins
Servings:
4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup orange juice

  • 1 cup sweet marsala, madeira, or cream sherry

  • cup packed brown sugar

  • 3 inch stick cinnamon

  • 1 star anise (optional)

  • 4 ripe red pears or Bosc pears

  • cup crème fraîche or sour cream

  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

  • Dash apple pie spice or ground cinnamon

  • cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

  1. In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker stir together orange juice, marsala, the 2/3 cup brown sugar, the stick cinnamon, and, if desired, star anise.

  2. Core each pear from the bottom, leaving the stem intact. If desired, use a citrus peeler or paring knife to cut a strip in a spiral from the top to the bottom of each pear. If necessary, slice the bottoms off pears to allow them to stand upright. Stand pears up in cooker. Spoon orange juice mixture over pears.

  3. Cover and cook on high-heat setting (do not use low-heat setting) for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Using a slotted spoon transfer pears to dessert plates, reserving orange juice mixture in cooker. On high-heat setting cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes more.*

  4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together crème fraîche, the 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and the apple pie spice; set aside.

  5. To serve, stir pomegranate seeds into orange juice mixture; remove and discard stick cinnamon and star anise. Spoon orange juice mixture over pears. Top each pear with a spoonful of the crème fraîche mixture.

*Tip:

Instead of cooking the orange juice mixture for 20 minutes longer in the slow cooker, you can transfer the liquid to a small saucepan and bring to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until syrupy.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

390 Calories
6g Fat
87g Carbs
2g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 390
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 17mg 6%
Sodium 403mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 87g 32%
Total Sugars 66g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 41.3mg 207%
Calcium 80.8mg 6%
Iron 0.9mg 5%
Potassium 480mg 10%
Folate, total 44.4mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.1mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.1mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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