Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
 
Ingredients:
6 medium pears, ripe but still firm
2 cups (500 mL) pomegranate juice, or red wine
1 whole cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
2 tablespoons Goji berries (optional)
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
1 cup (148 g) frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon Goji berries, or 1 teaspoon tumeric (to adjust color)
1 generous tablespoon natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed), or more for a darker, stronger sauce
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) soy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (147 g) pitted dates
2/3 cup (90 g) unsalted macadamia nuts, or rinse salt off well
RED RASPBERRY SAUCE
10 ounces (285 g) frozen red raspberries (about 1 1/2 cup), thawed
1 tablespooon pure maple syrup (optional)

Instructions: Peel pears, leaving stems intact. Slice a little off the bottom of each pear so that they stand up. In a large sauce pan, place pears standing up snugly together. Pour in pomegranate juice or wine. Add cinnamon, cloves and Goji berries. Gently simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until pears are tender. Remove pears and refrigerate until ready to serve. Reduce poaching liquid until it becomes a syrup.
CHOCOLATE SAUCE: Place blueberries, Goji berries, cocoa powder, soy milk, vanilla, dates and macadamia nuts in blender. Blend until very smooth and creamy (at least 2 min on high in a standard powered blender). Add more soy milk if needed.
RED RASPBERRY SAUCE: Place defrosted raspberries in a blender and blend until smooth. Push through sieve to remove seeds. Add poaching syrup and sweeten, if necessary, with maple syrup. Place a generous dollop of chocolate on dessert plate. Place pear on chocolate and drizzle raspberry sauce over pear.