350 ml chardonnay or sauvignon blanc
2 dashes cinnamon
1 dash either cloves or star anise
2 tbsp brown sugar or honey
1 pear or apple per person (or one half of each)
Peel and half fruit, removing tough inner fibers.
Place in saucepan with boiling wine, sugar and spices. Taste and adjust spices.
Cook until wine is reduced to thick syrup and fruit is cooked.
Remove to dessert plate, slice the fruit thinly and drizzle syrup over top.
Pears have a wonderful consistency for this simple dish, but apples are okay too, especially when pears are out of season. The combination of the two is nice as well.
The wine does not have to be great stuff, but if you can't drink it by itself, don't cook with it.
Servings (2 fruit halves per person)
2 Philippine mangoes, quite ripe is fine
Dash lime juice
3 tbsp sugar
2-3 cups or more
water
fresh mint
Peel and slice mangoes, then puree.
In pot on stove, bring water to boil, add sugar and then 2/3 the mango puree.
Cook for about 5 min.
Remove from heat, add remaining mango, dash lime juice - taste for sweet/tart balance and adjust with honey or lime juice if necessary.
Allow to cool and pour into a fairly big pan or dish so it is about 1-2 cm deep.
Place in freezer and every 30 min. or so mix with fork to make into an icy slurry.
As it gets harder, keep the stirring up until to becomes similar to crushed ice.
Serve as a palate cleanser or even dessert, garnished with fresh mint sprigs.
Serves 6-8 depending on as palate cleanser or as a dessert.
Substituting other fruit, champagne etc., works equally well.