My mother's birthday recently rolled around, and I wanted to make her a dessert that we could all share at her birthday dinner. The problem is that I don't like cake! I pondered over what dessert would qualify as special birthday fare but would still hold all the taste appeal of traditional sugary treats. I scoured my saved recipes but couldn't find just one that was just right.

Finally, I decided on combining four different recipes, heavily sprinkled with my own little additions, and my Tongue-Twister Poached Pears were born. There are several similar formulas, but the addition of Port wine and the puff pastry tray are what sets this one apart. This is a deliciously crisp fruit dessert bursting with flavour. They look gorgeous and taste even better!

So, how'd I come up with the name? Quite coincidentally, my dish ended up with one monstrous alliteration: pomegranate poached pears in puff pastry (in a port wine syrup, no less)! I just think "Tongue-Twister" Poached Pears is a little easier to say and to remember.

These really aren't as expensive as you might think, either. I got all my ingredients at Trader Joe's: the pears were $0.69 a pop, the pomegranate was $1.29, the puff pastry runs about $4, the juice about $3 (this is actually cheaper at Kroger's or a non-specialty grocery store), and both bottles of wine ran me only about $12 (I picked the ones I did because I liked the bottles, but there were several even cheaper options). I had everything else already at home. Also, keep in mind that you'll have plenty of leftover puff pastry dough, juice, pomegranate arils, and even enough wine for everyone to have a glass with their pears! All in all, these don't cost much but they look really fancy.

So, without further ado, the recipe:

Ingredients - yields 6 servings

f or the pears & syrup

6 ripe Bosc pears *(see hint on determining the pears' ripeness)

2 cups pomegranate juice (or juice blend - I used pomegranate blueberry)

1/2 cup Port wine

1/2 cup sweet white dessert wine, such as Moscato, Muscatel, or Riesling

1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste (I use raw turbinado sugar)

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

3 cinnamon sticks (you can substitute 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

for the puff pastry tray

1 lb package frozen puff pastry dough sheets (Or save money by making your own! Try the recipe here, or an easier shortcut here)

1 egg

1/4 cup water

for the garnish

arils from 1/2 a ripe pomegranate (about 1/2 cup)

6 sprigs spearmint

1/4 cup dried cranberries

* Pears should be ripe, which is to say slightly brown, but firm and unbruised.

Directions - 1 1/2 hours cook time, plus several hours marination time

Wash and peel pears, cutting the bottoms flat so that the pears can sit upright. Pears may be cored and stems removed, if desired (I didn't core mine). Arrange pears in a large saucepan (a Dutch oven will also work) with a lid & set aside.

Combine pomegranate juice, wine, cinnamon sticks, and sugar in a medium on medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and stir until sugar is mostly dissolved. Add vanilla, cloves, and ginger. Cover and let simmer for 5 more minutes.

Carefully pour juice-wine mixture over pears in large saucepan, covering as much of the fruit as possible. Cover saucepan and place on medium heat. Allow pears and poaching liquid - cinnamon sticks and all - to simmer for 20-30 minutes or until tender (may be tested with a sharp kitchen knife), turning pears over once every 7-10 minutes so that they poach evenly.

Allow pears and poaching liquid to cool before transferring to a deep container. Place container in refrigerator and allow pears to cool and marinate for several hours. I recommend marinating them overnight to allow them to develop the rich deep purple colour.

While pears are marinating, move puff pastry sheets to the refrigerator to thaw.

When pears are done marinating, strain poaching liquid into small saucepan and return pears in container to refrigerator. Bring liquid to a slow boil. Allow to reduce for about 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly. You may reduce liquid longer for a thicker syrup, but be sure to reduce heat slightly and stir constantly to avoid burning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut puff pastry dough sheets into two 6" x 12" rectangles (you may need to roll sheets to ensure that they are about 1/8" thick). Place on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray (you can just lightly grease the tray if you don't have parchment paper). At this time you may wish to preheat your oven to 400° F.

Whisk egg and water together to make egg wash. Using a pastry brush, apply a stripe of egg wash to the long edges of both puff pastry rectangles.

Fold about 1/2" of each puff pastry inwards along the long edges to create what is known as a "tranche". Press firmly so that egg wash binds dough together. The result should look something like a tray or a track with two long raised sides. Using the back of a butter knife, create a lattice (criss-crossing diagonal lines) pattern in the raised edges of the puff pastry. Coat puff pastry with egg wash.

Carefully arrange 3 pears upright on each puff pastry tray. Lightly pinch short ends of puff pastry trays together so that the pastry appears sort of like a little boat or canoe.

Sprinkle dried cranberries around base of pears in pastry boats. Spoon a small amount of syrup mixture over each pear. You should have plenty of syrup mixture left over.

Place in oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is flaky golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Sprinkle pomegranate arils around the base of the dessert. Drizzle remaining syrup over pears. The marinated cinnamon sticks make pretty decorations for the pastry trays! Finally, place a spring of mint atop each pear.

Voila! Tongue-Twister Poached Pears may be served warm immediately or chilled in refrigerator for an hour or two. Cut pastry between pears to serve. If desired, you could also sprinkle the dessert with sliced almonds, orange zest, or cinnamon.

And there you have it! According to some foodies, these pears pair well (all pun intended) with the tartness of sour cream or plain yoghurt, and you can always use low-fat versions to shave off a few calories. I liked the dessert as-is! What do you think? Let me know!

P.S. - Sorry for the picture quality, it was taken on my cell phone! You can see a few more (equally grainy) shots of the finished products here. Hopefully soon I'll find a better picture hosting spot so you can get some high-quality images, & shots of the recipes in progress!