Pears are often thought of as the red headed step child of the uber-adored apple.

But not in our kitchen!  We celebrate that funky shaped fruit and make it the main event in this sexy, sophisticated compote.  Yup, we just called a compote “sexy”.

Rosemary Pear Compote

Servings: 6-8
Time: 20 minutes

• 3 pears, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 1 orange, zested
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 1-2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Prep your pears by peeling, coring and chopping them into very small chunks (the smaller you chop them the more quickly they will break down/ cook, and the easier it will be for the flavors to marry)

Put the pears in sauce pan on medium-high heat and mix with a wooden spoon.  As juices begin to release use a potato masher to mash the pears down.  Once they start to break down (5-7 minutes), add in the rest of your ingredients.  If the mixture seems like it is really dry or burning you can add some of the juice from the orange.

Mix again to combine everything.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and allow the flavors to mingle for another 10 minutes or so.

Fish out the rosemary sprig and put the compote in jars.  Allow them to cool to room temp before putting them in the fridge.  This is excellent with crackers and cheese.  Also great with turkey or lamb.