Vanilla-Poached Pears

Cooking Instructions

Have ready a pot large enough to hold pears upright in a single layer.

Evenly trim edges of orange peel strips with scissors. Cut each strip in half lengthwise to make 12 long strips.

Put orange juice and water in a large bowl. As you peel pears, leaving stems on, place them in orange water to prevent browning. Drain orange water into pot; stir in sugar and vanilla. Stand pears in pot; add strips of orange peel.

Cover, bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until pears are tender when pierced at bottom. Cool in pot. Refrigerate pears and peel in syrup.

To serve: Have ready 12 dessert plates. Remove pears and peel from syrup with a slotted spoon. Stand pears on paper towels to drain slightly. Cut a slit in top of each. Spoon melted vanilla ice cream on half of each plate, melted chocolate ice cream on the other half. With a toothpick, starting in middle of each plate, draw a spiral through both ice creams in increasingly larger circles to edge of plate. Set a pear in center, spiral a strip of peel around each pear and insert a chocolate leaf in slit.

Chocolate Leaves: Rinse small fresh mint leaves; pat dry. Brush undersides with melted semisweet chocolate. Refrigerate on wax paper–lined pan until hard. Carefully but quickly (so chocolate doesn’t melt) peel off green leaf.

TIP: You can make chocolate leaves  or purchase them in the baking section of your supermarket. One brand sells 48 leaves in a 2.1-oz box.

The Chocolate Leaves can be made up to 5 days ahead. Refrigerate covered with wax paper between layers. Poach pears up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate in the syrup.