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INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons brandy
1/2 cup raisins
4 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate
1 cinnamon stick
6 Bosc pears
3 whole cloves
2 tablespoons agar flakes
***The Crust***
2 cups Grape-Nuts cereal
1/2 cup apple juice concentrate
***Meringue***
8 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 packets sugar substitute
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the brandy and raisins into a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring this to a boil. Remove this from the heat and let soak until they are called for in the recipe.

Combine 2 3/4 cups of water, the juice concentrate, and cinnamon stick in a large saucepan. Bring this to a boil and lower the heat. Halve, core, and peel the pears and place them in the water. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Do not let the pears become mushy. Remove from the heat and add the cloves to the poaching liquid. Refrigerate.

To form the crust, mix the Grape-Nuts and apple juice concentrate. Pat this into the bottom of a 7 1/2 x 3 1/2-inch Pyrex dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Let the crust cool before filling with the fruit.

Drain the liquid from the pears into a saucepan. Then drain the liquid from the soaked raisins and add this to the pear "juice" until you have 3 cups of combined liquid. Add the agar flakes and slowly heat until the agar is dissolved. Dice the pears and place the pieces along with the raisins over the crust. Pour the warm liquid over the fruit and let this cool and set in the refrigerator.

To prepare the meringue, whip the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue whipping the whites until they are stiff but not dry. Add the sugar substitute and the vanilla. Beat until firm. Spread this over the cooled cobbler. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a preheated 400F. oven, or until nicely browned.

Tags:  pear cobbler recipe