Flambeed Vanilla-Poached Pears with Apricot Sauce

This is a great dessert for a fancy party or a girl's night in! I love pears, and I love this recipe, because lighting the rum on fire caramelizes the sugar, and pulls out the flavor of the pears. I served this dish to a rich couple and got a hefty tip back, so I figured it must have been good!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 188 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups water
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ cup rum
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup apricot preserves
• 6 Bosc pears - peeled, halved and cored

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, and vanilla extract to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add 3 or 4 pear halves, reduce heat to medium, and simmer gently until the pears have just turned tender, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked pears to a warm chafing dish or metal serving dish, and continue to cook the remaining pears.

Step 2

Increase heat to medium-high, and boil the syrup until it has reduced to 1 cup. Stir in apricot preserves and return to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and stir into the simmering syrup. Cook and stir until thickened and clear, about 30 seconds.

Step 3

To serve, pour the hot sauce over the pears, and sprinkle with the rum. Carefully ignite the rum tableside with the lights turned low. Let the alcohol burn out before serving.