Honey Poached Pears with Gorgonzola and Hazelnuts Recipe by Dan Lorig

With the holidays less than a week away, it’s time to start planning the menu for your holiday gathering!  This year, try something healthy and sweet for your friends and family – Festive Holiday Recipes Sweetened with Honey.

Honeydrop Beverages, the all natural line of teas and juices sweetened with a tablespoon of pure honey, together with Dan Lorig, Honeydrop COO, former Teaching Kitchen Manager of The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and Certified Chef de Cuisine, have created two honey-centric recipes perfect for all of your holiday celebrations.

Why honey? Honey is not only a delicious way to sweeten dishes while avoiding refined sugars, it contains natural antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that are proven to sooth sore throats and coughs, boost energy and relive tired muscles. Honey is also known to relax the digestive tract – perfect for overindulgent holiday eating!

The below recipe from Honeydrop and Dan Lorig will be the perfect additions to your holiday meal.

Honey Poached Pears with Gorgonzola and Hazelnuts Recipe

4 Pears
3  Cups White Wine
¾ Cup Honey
¼ Cup Lemon Juice
1 Star Anise
1 Cinnamon Stick
¼ Cup Honey
½ Cup Gorgonzola Cheese – Crumbled
1/4 Cup Hazelnuts

1.     Carefully, core pears from the bottom, then peal and reserve in cold water with a few drops of lemon juice to prevent browning.

2.     Combine the Wine, Honey (reserve ¼ cup), Lemon Juice and spices.

3.     Place pears and honey mixture in a 2 -3 quart saucepot ensuring that the poaching liquid fully covers the pears.

4.     Place a small oven safe dish on top of the pears to keep them submerged throughout the cooking process.

5.     Poach the pears on medium heat and bring to a slow simmer. Continue poaching the pears for approximately 40 minutes or until they are fork tender.

6.     Remove the pears from the honey liquid and refrigerate to cool (Discard the star anise and cinnamon stick.

7.     Reduce the remaining liquid down to 1 cup.

8.     Remove the reduction from the heat and add the remaining honey. Refrigerate to cool.

To Serve: 

1.     Place a chilled pear on a small chilled plate (trimming the bottom as necessary, for a flat surface).

2.     Drizzle the chilled reduced poaching liquid on top of the pear and place the Gorgonzola and Hazelnuts around the plate to garnish.

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