Ingredients
2 pomegranates
1 tablespoon honey
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped to loosen
4 firm, ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cut lengthwise into eighths, and cored
Preparation
Cut pomegranates in half. Remove seeds from one half; reserve (you should have about 1/2 cup seeds). Extract juice from remaining halves with a citrus juicer. Strain into a medium saucepan. (You should have about 3/4 cup juice.)
Add honey, vanilla bean and seeds, and 4 cups water to pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
Carefully add pears. Cover, and cook until pears are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a plate; let cool slightly. Remove vanilla bean halves from poaching liquid; halve again lengthwise, reserving for garnish. Reserve 6 tablespoons poaching liquid.
To serve, divide pears among 4 bowls; sprinkle with reserved pomegranate seeds, dividing evenly. Drizzle each bowl with 1 1/2 tablespoons poaching liquid, and garnish with a vanilla bean quarter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
