Chai-Spiced Bosc Pears with Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups late-harvest riesling
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup pear nectar
• 25 cardamom pods, crushed
• 12 whole cloves
• 3 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, broken
• 2 tablespoons black tea leaves (such as Darjeeling or Assam)
• 4 peeled Bosc pears, cored and halved
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 (10.75-ounce) loaf frozen low-fat pound cake (such as Sara Lee), thawed and cut into 8 slices

Preparation

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in tea leaves; simmer for 2 minutes. Drain wine mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard solids.
2. Return wine mixture to pan; add pear halves, cut sides down. Cover; simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Remove pears with a slotted spoon; place in a shallow dish. Set pears aside; keep warm.
3. Bring wine mixture to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 10 minutes). Add mascarpone, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Remove from heat; add butter, stirring until butter melts.
4. Place 1 pound cake slice on each of 8 plates, and top each slice with 1 pear half. Spoon about 2 tablespoons sauce over each serving. Serve warm.