Pomegranate-Poached Pears with Cream

Bring first 7 ingredients and 3 cups water to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring constantly, 4 minutes or until sugar dissolves.

Add pears. Top pears with a plate; place a small saucepan on plate to keep pears submerged. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove plate and saucepan, and turn pears over. Replace plate and saucepan, and simmer 20 more minutes or until a knife slips easily into pear flesh.

Remove Dutch oven from heat. Transfer 2 cups cooking liquid to a small, clean saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture thickens and becomes syrupy. Remove pan from heat. Transfer syrup to a heat-proof bowl, and cool completely. Cover syrup, and keep at room temperature until ready to use. (You may need to warm syrup 1 to 2 minutes to thin slightly before serving.)

Let pears stand in remaining cooking liquid in Dutch oven, uncovered, at room temperature until completely cool. Cover and chill 8 to 12 hours.

Uncover Dutch oven, and bring cooking liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil gently 5 minutes or until pears are heated. Carefully remove pears, using a slotted spoon; discard solids in Dutch oven. Reserve cooking liquid for another use, if desired, or discard. Serve warm pears with crème fraîche, and drizzle with reserved syrup.