From: MacKaye Harbor Inn

MacKaye Harbor Poached Pears

1/2 cup genuine maple syrup (or a good faux-maple)
2 quarts of water
quick splash or one squeeze of lemon juice
3 fresh ripe bosc pears
8 oz. vanilla yogurt
freshly fine-grated nutmeg and ginger (or powdered)

Combine 1/2 cup maple syrup, lemon juice and water in wide pan (I used a deep large frypan), bring to boil and turn heat to simmer. Peel, halve and core the pears (if your hand is steady, or you have a woodcarver handy, peeling the pear in vertical strips leaving 1/4 inch of skin every other strip looks very nice). Place cut -side up in simmering water/syrup/lemon, cook at a low simmer 20 minutes or until tender (can pierce with fork but not soft).

Presentation:
Pool vanilla yogurt in serving plates large enough for entire pear half. Drain pear halves, then lay cut-side down on vanilla pool. Sprinkle with nutmeg-ginger dusting. Take one teaspoon of reduced maple syrup and drizzle from some height (so it cools as it descends) over each pear. Tuck a contrasting edible flower into the stem-end curve of the pear and serve.