Pear-Saffron Compote

Name: Pear-Saffron Compote
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 2 vanilla pods; 500 ml white wine (dry and crisp) / 17 oz; 300 g gratulated sugar / 1½ cups; juice from 3 lemsons; 2 small packets saffron threads / 0.2 g / 0.06 oz; 4 cloves; 2 kg firm, ripe pears / 4.4 lbs

Vegetarian

• Recipe from: Richard Rauch and Katharina Seiser

Pear and saffron - an elegant liaison in a glass.

Method

Preparation time: 90 min
3 glasses á about 1 l (35 oz)

Step 1

Massage the vanilla pods until soft, then halve them and scrape out the seeds. In a pot, combine 500 ml (17 oz) of water, white wine, granulated sugar, lemon juice, saffron, the scraped vanilla pods and seeds, and cloves. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Step 2

Peel the pears, halve them, remove the cores, and cut the pears into 3 cm (1.18 in) thick wedges. Place the pear wedges in cold water to prevent browning.

Step 3

Remove the pears from the water and layer them in jars. Divide the vanilla pods and cloves among the jars and pour the hot syrup over them. Seal the jars.

Step 4

Place them on a baking tray. Pour boiling water into the tray to a depth of about a finger's width and cook the compote at 130 °C/266 °F (top/bottom heat) for 1 hour. Alternatively, steam at 95°C/203 °F for 45 minutes. Let cool.

Tip: Keeps for at least 6 months and pairs very well with roast venison or poppy seed noodles.