Poached Pears in Ginger Syrup

Poached Pears in Ginger Syrup

Dad made this recipe up for when he and my mom had a couple of Chinese friends over for dinner. My dad wanted to make something that they liked, and so he decided to go with ginger. He had me try the syrup, and holy cow! It's like eating dark chocolate, where you have to wait for the full experience, which comes in layers. First, it tastes like any other sugar syrup, but then you get that hint of ginger. Finally, you get that signature ginger burn at the last. Coupled with the poached pears, it's divine.

Ingredients

Pears
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
5 Spice Powder (Buy at Chinese market--Typically a mix of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and ground fennel seeds. It's all about the feng shui in Chinese spices!)
Ginger, sliced really thin

Procedure

1. Combine a cup of sugar, a cup of water, the ginger, and some 5 spice powder in a pan and heat up until the sugar dissolves. Poach the fruit (pears) for 20-30 min (however long it takes--Dad wasn't all that specific).
2. Remove the fruit and set aside.
3. Boil down the syrup until it starts to get thicker, then strain the syrup through a strainer lined with cheese cloth to get all the bits out. You can put it back into the pan and reduce it further if desired.
4. Drizzle the syrup over the pears and sever warm. Voila!