Vanilla Poached Pears etc.

I have to say, I'm not the biggest fan of CHOW.com. They do have a few good recipes I have taken to heart though, and I enjoy reading Table Manners (probably a result from those manners classes and cotillion courses mom put me through; thanks mom, I really do appreciate it now that I'm older) so it has its plusses. I do love some of the recipes they make though, they have a simple decadence to them. A sort of Napa Valley... je ne sais quoi.

But this one really does beat all.

This recipe for vanilla poached pears was a real winner with me, Rob, and everyone whom I have served it. Very simple and easy. I always have lemons and stray vanilla beans laying around (How bourgeois does that sound?) so it's a simple dessert to bang out for company or for the hell of it.

Plus, you can always save and dry out the vanilla beans afterwards and place them in a small container of sugar, then grind it in the food processor for vanilla sugar. Thank Shuna - of the great Eggbeater blog - for the advice, which I got when I attended her egg whites class. Go here for more vanilla bean advice, or see some of her artful writing as she guest blogs at Simply Recipes about how to make a perfect pavlova as she taught me.

However, if vanilla sugar isn't your thing, pop them in some vodka, and let it sit a while in a dry, temperate place. It's a perfect way to party with the coming heat.

Take this recipe into a new direction by creating a sorbet! Go see!