Lauren Burns' poached pears with cardamom cream

1. Cardamom cream: Combine all the ingredients thoroughly. Cover and leave overnight in the fridge.
   
   
2. Next day, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium–high heat. Bring to the boil and allow to reduce for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the red wine and spices and cook for another 5 minutes.
   
   
3. Peel the pears and carefully place them in the saucepan. You need to ensure
   the pears are covered while they cook. – to achieve this, cut a round of baking
   paper the same diameter as the saucepan and place it over the pears and then
   place a plate on top of the baking paper. Reduce the heat to very low and
   simmer for 2–3 hours.
   
   
4. Drizzle the pears with syrup and serve with the cardamom cream.

• They can be served as a dessert with cardamom cream (as in this recipe), or for breakfast with porridge, muesli or pancakes.
  
• The cardamom cream is a beautiful accompaniment for any kind of poached fruit. The cardamom flavour is subtle, and adding the yoghurt makes it less rich than plain cream.