Spiced pear cider

OK, I'm at that "I'm ALMOST done with winter" point.  That point where I need one last jump in the snow (or first this year! sheesh!), one last crock pot meal, and one last taste of a spiced warm drink curled up on the couch with some slippers.  OR, maybe 2 of each of these.  But you catch my drift.  Grayest winter EVER!  Not a single tease of snow, or sun, just gray.  Blech. Ah well, I'm trying to make the most of this last stretch of February, this time with some home made spiced pear cider.

If you live in the northwest, you are probably eating as many citrus fruits and pears as I am.  A LOT!  I'm literally getting 4 different kinds of citrus in my CSA bin this week.  And pears.  and that's it for fruit.  SOOO...... I did something totally shocking very very predictable, I made a drink.

To make 2 cups of spiced pear cider, you will need:

2 ripe pears, the riper the better
2 cups of water
4 cinnamon sticks, plus some ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Peel your pears, and cut into 1 inch pieces.  Bring pears, cinnamon sticks, and water to boil in a small saucepan over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until those pears have cooked down quite a bit in the water.  Transfer to a blender, and add the vanilla, nutmeg, and salt.  Blend until smooth.  Add additional cinnamon here if you wish.  Pears are super super mild and sweet, so I don't add any sugar to mine, but if you like sweet drinks, add some sugar.  Serve hot, with a cinnamon stick and some sprinkled cinnamon.

Don't expect tart apple cider here, pears are much less intense, which makes for a really mild spiced drink.  It really was just screaming for some booze.  Buuuuuut sometimes I need to lay off of that stuff ya know?

Well, hope you have a really grand weekend!  Enjoy it!

Trish