Holiday Comfort Food: Christmas-Spiced Pears with Creamy Coconut Pudding

Today we're welcoming nutritionist, photographer and blogger, Anise Thorogood, of Love and Garnish to share the perfect holiday comfort food leading up to the Christmas holiday.

"Well, winter has officially set in here in Calgary and Christmas is in full swing. I just adore it. Even though the hustle and bustle is a bit too much for some to handle (ahem, my husband), it excites me to the core! Nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit more than wrapping that perfect gift, the scent of freshly baked cookies wafting from the oven, a fir-scented tree lit up next to a crackling fireplace, and a Christmas-spiced concoction on the stove.

I guess I am still on a pear kick after last week's Pear Cider. These Christmas-spiced pears are poached in a liquid made from honey, star anise, ginger, orange zest, and vanilla and the coconut millet pudding is reminiscent of the creamy, rice pudding your grandmother used to make. You can even make a quick, spiced-pomegranate molasses with the poaching liquid and a bit of pomegranate juice after the pears are cooked.  As an easy breakfast to get you out the door for a day of shopping, or a stunner on the dessert table at your future in-laws, this dish will make an appearance again and again in your kitchen!

Mighty Millet
Ah, millet. The red-headed step-child in the grain family...at least in my kitchen! I don't use it often, heck, the only recipe (until now!) that I've loved using millet in is this Millet and Black Bean Bowl. Other than quinoa, millet comes the closest to a complete protein out of all the other grains and helps balance dysglycemia (an imbalance of blood sugar). Millet is a gluten-free, alkalinizing grain, that has been a staple in ancient cultures for centuries.  By "alkalinizing" the body, it helps to reduce inflammation and balance acidic conditions in the body, which is how disease proliferates.  Millet helps support the spleen, pancreas, and stomach so is beneficial for people with low immunity, hormone imbalances, acidosis, colitis, ulcers, and urinary disorders.  Due to millet's content of iron, lecithin, and choline, it can help keep cholesterol in check while supporting the nervous system.  "When researchers looked at how much fiber 35,972 participants in the UK Women's Cohort Study ate, they found a diet rich in fiber from whole grains, such as millet, and fruit offered significant protection against breast cancer for pre-menopausal women." (Cade JE, Burley VJ, et al., International Journal of Epidemiology).

So why aren't I and everyone else using millet more often? Well, now we have a reason to!

Ingredients

1. GROCERY LIST
   

Creamy Coconut Millet Pudding

1. 1/2 cup millet
2. 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, full fat (don't shake the can!)
   
3. 1 cup almond milk
4. 1 Tablespoon honey or maple syrup for vegan option
5. 1/2 teaspoon fresh cardamom
6. 2 large vanilla bean pods or 4 small vanilla bean pods
7. 2 cups pure, filtered water

Spiced Pears

1. 1 pear, cut into quarters or diced*
2. 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, sliced
3. 3 1/2 Tablespoons of honey or maple syrup for a vegan option
4. 2 inch piece of orange peel
5. juice from 1/2 an orange
6. 1 star anise
7. 3 Tablespoons pomegranate juice, optional**
8. hemp seeds, to garnish
9. pomegranate seeds, to garnish
10. pistachios or walnuts, to garnish

Instructions

1. Do not shake the can of coconut milk! Open the can and spoon off about 2 tablespoons or so of the thick coconut cream. Set aside to use later.
2. Thoroughly wash and rinse the millet in a sieve. In a medium sauce-pan, bring the millet, coconut milk, almond milk, honey or maple syrup, and cardamom to a low boil. Cut 1 large vanilla bean pod or 2 small vanilla bean pods carefully down the middle, exposing the vanilla bean seeds. Scrape out the seeds or "caviar" and add to the pot, along with the empty pods. Cover the pot and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick. If you need to add more liquid, use coconut milk and add little bits at a time. It should be similar to a porridge consistency when finished cooking. Stir in the coconut cream reserved from earlier, cover, and set aside.
   
3. While the millet is cooking, prepare the pears. In a medium sauce-pan, combine 2 cups of water with the pear, ginger, honey or maple syrup, orange peel, orange juice, and star anise. Repeat the process from above with the remaining vanilla bean pods (1 large or 2 small vanilla bean pods) and add the vanilla beans ("caviar") and pods to the sauce-pan. Bring to a simmer and poach for 15 minutes or until pears are cooked through and a fork is inserted easily. I don't like mine cooked too much, so cook a bit longer if you want them softer. Remove the pears and set aside.
4. If you are making the spiced pomegranate molasses, add the pomegranate juice to the spiced pear poaching liquid after removing the pears. Return to a simmer for about 7 minutes, reducing to a syrup. Remove the aromatics and set aside the pomegranate molasses.
5. Divide the millet between 2 bowls and top with the pears, hemp seeds, pomegranate seeds, pistachios or walnuts and drizzle with the spiced pomegranate molasses.
6. If serving as a dessert, divide between 4 cups or bowls.

Notes

1. *If eating this dish for breakfast, slicing the pears is sufficient, but I find if you are preparing this dish as a "rice pudding" sort-of dessert and serving it to guests, diced pears look a bit nicer when served in parfait cups.
2. **You can make a quick, spiced pomegranate molasses to drizzle over the pudding with the pear poaching liquid after you have cooked the pears.