On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A partridge in a pear tree! Or maybe some poached pears?! Poached pears are a wonderful and simple Christmas desert on so many levels. Firstly, if you're looking for something quick to throw together with limited preparation time, then these are perfect!
Pears are in season from September through to January which means that we can take advantage of good prices for Organic pears (currently £2.50 for 4 in Tesco). But the great thing about pears is that they provide lots of health benefits.......

• full of fibre, including pectin which lowers LDL (the bad cholesterol!)
  
• A study from the University of Illinois demonstrated the immune boosting benefits of the antioxidant rich flavinoids in pears. (just what we need at this time of year!)
  
• The fibre and pectin maintain bowel health. (OK! enough, I know that's too much information!)
  

Onto the recipe....
Well, there are lots of variations with poached pears and you could always poach in red wine with some cloves, star anise and cinnamon. However, I'm going to suggest a simple recipe that all the family can enjoy which is alcohol free but not taste free!

1. Roughly a mug of water per pear, so 4 pears =4 cups water. (1 litre)
2. 1 cinnamon stick or a good tsp of dried cinnamon
3. Sugar! But not just any sugar...coconut sugar! This has approx half the glycaemic index of regular sugar which is perfect as it just so happens pears are a low sugar fruit and therefore one I encourage in the diet for those needing to reduce sugars. This type of recipe would typically recommend about 200g sugar or 8oz but I would tend to reduce slightly (you choose!)
4. oh and don't forget the pears! 4 pears peeled, cored and sliced into fairly big pieces or left whole if you have a big enough pan!

Method: Put water into a pan with sugar and cinnamon stick. Cook on a low heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and cook for 10-15 mins. Then remove pears and set aside while you heat up your sugary water, boiling uncovered until you have a syrup ( 5 or so mins). Then drizzle over your pears and serve! This is lovely with some Greek yoghurt and flaked almonds. If you're dairy free, how about some Oatly Oat cream? (www.oatly.co.uk) If you want to be super indulgent, chocolate goes well with pears so get yourself some Green and Black's organic 70% cocoa solids cooking chocolate and melt a little in a dish over a pan of boiling water. Drizzle over pears...yum!
By the way, did you know that research has shown that cinnamon can reduce blood sugar? Talk about a guilt free desert!! This is truly a Christmas treat and a change from the stodgier puds we know and love. Bon appetit!!