Pastry Sourpuss: Poached Pears

This cat's not getting fat - it's going for that special pear-shaped figure. PASTRY SOURPUSS: POACHED PEARS is our own take on the fancy 'poire à la Beaujolaise' dessert. We abused quite a lot of mushy-smoothie pear purée, mixed it in with some grape juice, and bathed it all in a mix of fortified wine, creme de cassis, star anise, cardamom and cinnamon.  It's heartwarming and hitting those nostalgia buds hard, with the spices playing second fiddle in the best of ways. Almost warm and fuzzy, but also refreshing. Quite a conundrum.