Diana Yen's Artful Holiday Dessert: Hibiscus Poached Pears

Savor the culinary masterpiece that is Hibiscus Poached Pears. Diana Yen, a visionary in the realms of food styling and recipe development, joined forces with Coyuchi to meticulously craft an organic holiday dessert that beautifully captures the essence of the season.

A big thank you Coyuchi for helping me keep my kitchen tidy with eco-friendly dish towels and dressing up the final plate with your napkins.

Sonoma Textured Organic Napkins, Organic Waffle Kitchen Towels

HIBISCUS POACHED PEARS

Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ tsp. cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 firm organic Bosc pears
- One 3” orange peel, plus juice of 1 orange
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 1 ½ cups dried hibiscus
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 4 star anise
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole cloves
- Whipped cream and dragees, for serving

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 225F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar, pinch salt, cardamom; gradually turning up speed, beating until soft peaks form.
3. With mixer running, slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time until dissolved and stiff peaks form.
4. Pipe bow shapes onto baking sheets, leaving space between. Bake for 45 mins, then turn oven off and leave meringues inside for one more hour. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
5. Trim base of peeled pears to remove bottom stems, use a melon baller to scoop from bottoms to remove cores. Brush with orange juice to prevent browning.
6. Combine orange peel and juice, ginger, hibiscus, brown sugar, star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, 10 cups water in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
7. Submerge pears in liquid, cover with lid, poach until tender, approximately 30 mins.
8. Pour poaching liquid over pears; let cool. Refrigerate for 2 hours up to 3 days; color deepens over time.
9. Decorate with dragees. Serve with whipped cream and meringue bows.

Enjoy!