"Poached" pear with vanilla ice cream

[rosefox]

Note: The cider mentioned below is the sort that's called "cloudy apple juice" in the U.K. and obtained by the half-gallon at farmer's markets and supermarkets in the U.S. Alcoholic cider would probably not be a good substitute. Pear cider works best, but use what you've got on hand.

Note: The recipe can be doubled or tripled to serve several. Just increase the ingredients proportionately and leave the microwave time about the same.

Ingredients

1 underripe pear
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon, or 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract, or half a vanilla bean (optional)
1 Tbsp pear or apple juice or cider
Vanilla ice cream

Equipment

Knife
Cutting board
Microwave-safe glass bowl or baking dish
Microwave oven
Spoon
Ice cream scoop
Soup bowl
Lid for the dish, or plastic wrap

Instructions

0) Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Set the ice cream out to soften a bit.

1) Cook the pear. Wash and quarter the pear. Peel it if you like. Remove and discard the stem, core, and seeds. Optional: cut the pear into smaller, spoon-friendly pieces. Place the pear pieces skin side down in the glass dish. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp brown sugar over them. Optional: sprinkle ground cinnamon over the pear pieces, or put a cinnamon stick in the dish. Optional: add 1 tsp vanilla extract to the dish (don't pour it over the pears), or put in half a vanilla bean or the scrapings therefrom. Pour the juice/cider over the pear pieces. Microwave on high for 2 to 4 minutes or until pear is thoroughly cooked and tender.

If you prefer your pears cold, stop after this step. Put the dish on a trivet and let it cool to room temperature; then cover and refrigerate. DO NOT put the hot glass dish directly in the fridge or put it down on a cold surface! DO NOT put plastic wrap on the hot dish--it will melt!

2) Make the syrup. Remove the pieces of pear to the soup bowl, leaving the liquid (and cinnamon stick and/or vanilla bean, if using) in the glass dish. Mix the remaining 1 tsp brown sugar into the juices in the bottom of the glass dish. Microwave on high in 30-second increments until it acquires a syrupy consistency. The syrup and the dish will be VERY HOT. Handle with care. Move the dish to a trivet and let it cool briefly before attempting to pour out the syrup.

3) Serve. Nest a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle of the pear pieces. Pour the syrup over the pear and ice cream. Eat immediately.

Sources:
http://catalinakolker.blogspot.com/2009/09/microwave-baked-pears.html
http://mylittlerecipes.blogspot.com/2009/12/microwave-oven-poached-pears.html