Candied ginger pears

These pears, prepared in a frying pan, make for a wonderful winter dessert. In My Recipes for a Better World, Alicia Silverstone presents even more tempting vegan recipes.

Ingredients

Servings: 3 servings

⅖ cup

ground almonds
2 tbsp

rice syrup or another plant-based sweetner such as agave syrup or barley malt syrup (not gluten free)
3 large

pears halved and deseeded
1 ¼ cup

pear juice or apple juice
1 tbsp

pear juice cold
1 tsp

ginger juice grate a piece of ginger and squeeze out the juice with your fingers
1 pinch

sea salt finely ground
1 tbsp

Kudzu powder or another plant-based thickening agent
1 tbsp

lemon juice freshly squeezed
1 tsp

lemon zest
4 tsp

maple syrup optional

Instructions

Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and roast them for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until they become fragrant and golden-brown. Place in a bowl to cool. Then grind the almonds in a food processor or mixer until very fine.
Heat up the rice syrup in a small saucepan. Add the ground almonds and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Set aside.
Half and then scoop out the center of the pears and place them in a deep frying pan with the cut side up. Pour the pear or apple juice into the pan together with the ginger juice and salt. Cover the pan, bring the liquid to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium and cook for 7-10 minutes or until the pear halves are soft. Put the pears onto a serving plate, leaving the liquid in the pan. Pack the hollowed-out pear halves with almond mixture.
Stir the dissolved kudzu powder into the liquid, heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour the sauce over the pears and serve. For extra sweetness and color, pour 1 tsp maple syrup on each pear.