Catalan Pears Poached in Honey, Saffron and Vanilla

Serve these elegant pears infused with a honey and saffron syrup with Macaroons or Vanilla Ice Cream. Sixteenth-century herbalist John Gerarde professes that ‘saffron is good for the head, and maketh the sences more quicke and lively, shaketh off heavy and drowsie sleepe, and maketh man merry'.

SERVES 8

8 pears, slightly underripe

Squeeze of lemon juice

700ml water

250g honey

2 generous pinches of saffron

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Peel the pears but leave their stalks attached. Immerse the peeled pears in a bowl of water with a good squeeze of lemon juice in it, to stop them discolouring.

Bring the water, honey, saffron and vanilla to the boil in a pan that is large enough to take the 8 pears. Add the pears and bring the syrup back to the boil. Place some crumpled-up greaseproof paper over the pears to keep them submerged in the liquid. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pears are soft throughout, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the ripeness of the pears. Pierce the pears with a fine skewer to check how soft they are.

Remove the pears from the liquid using a slotted spoon and place them in a serving bowl. Set aside.

Boil the liquid to reduce it to a thin, sweet syrup, about 15 minutes. Pour the syrup over the pears in the serving bowl. Set aside at room temperature for several hours before serving to allow the pears to be further infused by the syrup. This dish can profitably be made the day before serving, giving the the saffron and vanilla more time to infuse the pears.