Since being back home, it has been such a treat to cook with my family again. The four of us are seamless in the kitchen. One is chopping, while the other is prepping, another starting the cooking and the final one directs and cleans. We all have our roles. The absolute cadence of all four of us cooking is something I will always cherish as we know that without one, there is a natural disruption that manipulates the ripple.
I found coming home to be a whole new experience since last I was here. Being away for so long made me appreciate what I have here. Not only a roof, a set of parents, a loving younger brother, but love and kindness and warmth. Hugging my brother and giving my father a peck on the cheek and holding onto my mother’s hand-they will always be so dear to me.
We have a hard time appreciating the people who are with us the entire time. Don’t we? We fight and argue. We laugh and play. We care and love. It’s like a familial version of the three wise monkeys.
4 Servings
Chai Spiced Port Poached Pears
ingredients
- 1 cup port wine
- 4 firm ripe Bosc pears
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 black cloves
- 2 black peppercorn
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 inch ginger piece
method
Dry roast the cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorn, and cardamom pods over medium heat until fragrant for about 5 minutes, stirring occassionally.
Combine wine, sugar, spices, ginger, and 2 cups water in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cut about ¼-inch from the bottom of the pear to make the surface flat. Peel the pears and place in the wine-mixture pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer covered until the knife slides into the pears with ease. This should be about 40-50 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Service individual pears with ice cream, double cream, or on its own. Drizzle some of the spiced wine mixture on top.
