Poached Pears with Orange Mascarpone

Serves: 4

Garnish this stylish dessert with freshly grated orange zest.

For the pears:

4 pears

500ml Eisberg Chardonnay

2 tbsp honey

1 whole vanilla pod, split almost all the way lengthways

1 cinnamon stick

1 orange, zest and juice

For the orange mascarpone:

a little orange zest and juice

2 tbsp mascarpone cheese

1 tsp icing sugar

Find a saucepan in which the pears will sit neatly with their stalks up and without too much room around them. Peel the pears but keep the stalks attached and set aside. Pour the Eisberg alcohol-free wine into the pan and add the honey, vanilla pod and cinnamon stick. Using a vegetable peeler, peel most of the zest into the pan, then remove the rest using a zester or grater and set aside for the mascarpone.
Squeeze most of the juice from the orange into the pan but keep 2 teaspoons for the mascarpone. Turn on the heat and stir gently until the honey has dissolved then add the pears. Simmer very gently for 15-20 minutes until the pears are tender then remove them onto a plate.
Turn up the heat to high and boil the liquid until reduced and thickened to a glossy syrup, which will take about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the mascarpone into a small bowl and stir in the reserved orange zest and juice with the icing sugar.
Serve the pears with extra syrup poured over and a dollop of orange mascarpone on the side.

Print Recipe www.eisberg.co.uk/