POACHED PEARS WITH
SUGARED AFRICAN VIOLETS

2 cups Pinot Noir or Gamay Beaujolais

1 cup sugar

2 cups cranberry juice

1 cinnamon stick

6 allspice berries

4 whole cloves

8 Bosc pears, blemish-free with stems attached

African violet flowers

Sugar

Combine the wine, sugar, cranberry juice, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, and cloves in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Peel the pears, leaving the stems attached. Reduce the heat to medium-low and poach the pears in the wine until just tender, at least 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave the pears in the poaching liquid until they take on a rose color. Remove the pears and set aside.

Strain the poaching liquid, reserving the liquid in the saucepan and discarding the spices. Cook the sauce over low heat until it becomes reduced to heavy syrup.

Brush African violet flowers with the syrup and dip in sugar. This will harden the flowers a bit.

Puddle the syrup onto a dessert plate and place the poached pears in the syrup. Place a flower crystal on each pear at the base of the stem.

Makes 8 servings.