So I decided to shake things up a bit here on Health Habits. In honor of Valentine’s Day I thought it might be good to do a post on a healthy dessert. Something simple yet elegant, again banking on the ‘Wow’ factor for your sweetheart. With the economy in the tanker right now, this is also a great idea that’s easy on your wallet. Of course you can substitute champagne if you wish but Prosecco,  a sparkling wine from north of Venice, Italy, offers the same great bubbly and quality without spending your gas money.

Now, would I really make something that’s horribly bad for you? No way. Pears are an excellent source of dietary fiber (a medium sized pear has 6 grams of fiber, 24% of the recommended daily allowance) and a good source of vitamin C, a proven antioxidant. Pears also offer potassium (a medium sized pear has 190 mg of potassium). They contain no saturated fat, sodium or cholesterol. A medium pear has about 100 calories. There’s no added sugar in this recipe, no butter, just a wee bit of the o’bubbly.

Serves 4

RECIPE:
4 Bosc pears, in season from mid-September through April or May.
2 cups Prosecco
2 cups Orange Juice
5 cloves
2 medium cinnamon sticks

Directions:
Peel and core the pears, leaving the stems intact. Trim the bottom of each so the pears will stand up in your pot.
Mix all the other ingredients together and pour over pears in your pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook for 1 hour or until the pears are nice ‘n’ tender.
TIP: Make these a day ahead and let them cool in the poaching liquid. Once cooled to room temp, refrigerate. This way the flavor will soak into the pears and make them even sweeter.
To re-heat: Place the pears and poaching liquid in a saucepan and gently bring to a simmer. Heat for 15-20 minutes or until pears are warm.

Alternatively, if you decide to make them on the day of, no problem. Follow above directions and serve warm with some vanilla ice cream.
Garnish with some fresh lemon rind and drizzle of poaching liquid over.

If this doesn’t do the trick well, enjoy the priesthood!

Let me know how you get on with this recipe. And if you have any requests or questions, please leave a comment! To see more of my recipes and learn about me and my healthy food philosophies head over to thehealthyirishman.com.

The Healthy Irishman Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

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