Poached pears with white wine, cardamom, and saffron

This is a perfumed, unique take on poached pears. A few notes: (1) It is worth it to get saffron for this recipe; it adds a depth and complexity to the flavor. (2) If I want more sauce, I tweak this recipe by dumping in more wine and adding a bit more sugar and cardamom. (3) The sauce is excellent over yogurt. Adapted from Yottam Ottolenghi.

Ingredients

• 2 T cardamom pods
• 1 c dry white wine
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1.5 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 t teaspoon saffron threads
• Pinch of salt
• 4 firm pears (bosc is good), peeled
• crème fraîche for garnish

Instructions

1. Gently crush cardamom with a rolling pin or wooden spoon to slightly crack open pods without releasing seeds.
2. Core the pears:
3. Combine cardamom, wine, sugar, lemon juice, saffron, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium high, stirring until sugar dissolves, until the mixture is simmering.
4. Add pears, then cover with enough water or wine to submerge them. (Note: using a smaller pan will require less liquid.)
5. Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar to let out steam, then simmer for about 25-30 minutes, turning the pears half way. (Note: if your pears are softer, the cooking time will be less.)
6. When the pears are cooked but not mushy, transfer them to a plate with a slotted spoon.
7. Heat remaining liquid to a boil and reduce to 1 cup, cooking for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Serve by spooning syrup over pears and placing a dollop of crème fraîche on top.