This is a very simple yet delicious raw, vegan, alcohol free, added sugar free dessert but you should start making it at least one day ahead of your planned Thanksgiving dinner.
I decided to serve the pears with the pomegranate juice marinade only. If you have time, you can make some vanilla ice cream or cinnamon spiced mousse, and serve it together with the pears.
To marinate the pears I used pomegranate juice and spices. I love cloves and used 1 tablespoon of ground cloves in a juice of five pomegranates to marinate two pears. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the mix. This worked out perfectly. You may want to find you own "golden ratio" of spices and use the spices you like the most.
Do not use a store bought pomegranate juice in this recipe. Pomegranates are in season and rather easy to juice. I used manual citrus press to juice mine.
The pomegranate juice and the ripe pears are sweet enough so there is no reason to add any kind of sweetener. Keep things as natural and simple as possible.
Ingredients:
- 1 fairly ripe but firm organic pear per person (Bartlett or Anjou)
- freshly pressed juice of 2 pomegranates per person
- ground cloves
- cinnamon
Method:
- Wash and cut the pomegranates in half. Using a citrus press, squeeze out as much juice as possible. Transfer the juice into a large enough glass dish or container that closes tightly with a lid. Add ground cloves and cinnamon, and mix well.
- Wash and peel the pears. Cut the pears lengthwise in half. Scoop out the seeds.
- Place the pears in the dish with the pomegranate juice making sure that they are completely immersed in the juice.
- Close the dish tightly and place in the fridge overnight. The pears will not only change the color but they will also be infused with spices.
- To serve, place two pear halves in a bowl. Add some of the pomegranate juice marinade and serve. Enjoy in good company!
Tip: Do not discard the peels from your organic pears. You can add them to your juice or smoothie, or dehydrate them for a later use. Also, while juicing the pomegranates with a citrus press you will notice that many of the arils are not completely spent. Some may even remain completely intact. That's quite all right and it is intended. You will be making anardana. Using a spoon, scoop out all the arils, broken and whole, out of the pomegranate halves. Spread all the arils on the dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115°F for at least six hours, or until completely dehydrated. Dried pomegranate seeds are delicious. They can be used as a snack or as a toping for your salads, soups or smoothie bowls. You can also grind the completely dehydrated seeds and use them as spice to flavor various raw and cooked dishes.
Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving - in radiant health, passionately raw -Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2024