Brandy Poached Bosc Pears With Cream Almondine and Lavender Sea Salt

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 medium ripe Bosc pears, peeled and cut in half, seeds
removed
3 oz good brandy
1 C unfiltered apple juice
1/3 C + 3 T white sugar
Dash of cinnamon
3 C whipped cream (about 1 C heavy cream unwhipped)
1 t vanilla extract
½ t almond extract
Lavender sea salt (You can use pink Himalayan salt, too.)
Fresh mint for garnish

Direction:

• Rub the 1/3 C sugar all over the peeled, seeded and cut pear halves as you go to keep them from turning brown and to help caramlize when cooking. Then place the 8 peeled, seeded halves, with the stems on, open side up in a large baking dish. Drizzle the brandy over the top working to get the brandy mostly into the indentations and on the top of the pears. The rest will spill into the dish. That’s okay. Then add the apple juice to the pan, but don’t pour it over the pears. Sprinkle pears with a bit of the cinnamon. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the pears are soft. Remove and cover with foil. They can remain in the pan, covered, on your counter for 3 hours.
• Whip the heavy cream. When almost to stiff peaks add the vanilla, 3 T sugar and the almond extract. Whip those three ingredients in. Cover and keep in fridge until ready to serve.
• To plate, use a shallow dessert bowl and place a half of the pear in the bowl. Drizzle with the juices from the baking dish. Add a generous dallop of the cream to the side a bit, partially covering the pear. Drizzle VERY LITTLE of the lavender sea salt atop. Only a few strategic granules are needed. Top with a bit of the chopped, fresh mint. Serve!