Pomegranate-Poached Pears

Ingredients

• 4 ripe firm pears (Bosc pears work best, but can also use Bartlett or Anjou)
• 2 cups (16 ounces) 100% pomegranate juice
• 1 cinnamon stick (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
• 1 cup nonfat plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp (¼ cup) sliced almonds, toasted

Method

1. Peel the pears and cut them in half. Remove the cores with a spoon or melon baller.
2. Place the pears flat-side-down in a large saucepan.
3. Pour the pomegranate juice over the pears and add the cinnamon stick to the pan.
4. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to low.
5. Simmer gently until the pears are tender when pierced with a fork, about 25-30 minutes, turning them over gently once or twice while they cook so they color evenly.
6. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears to a serving dish.
7. Garnish each pear half with 2 tablespoons of the yogurt and ½ tablespoon of the toasted almonds.
8. Serve warm.

To toast the almonds, cook them in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 -5 minutes. Any leftover pomegranate juice can be saved for putting in a smoothie, adding to beef stew, or reducing and used as a sauce over pork or chicken. Another juice (e.g. cranberry, cherry, apple) can be used in place of the pomegranate juice if desired.