INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Using a large sharp knife, trim off the top and bottom of the
pineapple and slice off the skin.  Using the tip of a vegetable
peeler, remove the eyes. Quarter the pineapple lengthwise and core  it.
Slice each quarter crosswise 1/2" thick, then cut enough slices  into
bite-sized pieces to make 1 cup. Reserve balance of the  pineapple for
another use. 2. In a large saucepan of simmering water,  scald the
oranges for 5 seconds. Refresh under cold running water;  pat dry. Pick
out the orange with the nicest skin. Using a sharp  knife, cut it
crosswise into very thin slices; save any juices. Using  a vegetable
peeler, strip the zest from 3 of the remaining oranges;  cut it into
very thin strips; set aside. 3. Juice the 3 zested  oranges. Add enough
water to make 1 1/4 cups and pour into a medium  nonreactive saucepan.
Stir in the 1 1/4 cups suage and the orange  slices and their juices.
Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean  with the tip of a knife and
set aside. Add the bean and star anise  pod to the saucepan and bring
to a simmer over high heat, stirring to  dissolve the sugar. Cover,
reduce the heat to low and simmer very  gently until the white of the
orange slices begins to turn  translucent and the syrup takes on a rich
amber color, about 1 hour.  Add a few tablespoons of water if the syrup
thickens too much before  the slices are translucent. Strain the syrup
and add enough water to  make 3/4 cup. Reserve the orange slices;
discard the star anise and  the vanilla bean. 4. While the orange
slices are cooking, using a  small sharp knife, peel the remaining 4
oranges, removing all the  bitter white pith. Working over a
nonreactive bowl, cut in between  the membranes to release the orange
sections. Squeeze the membranes  to extract all the juice. Add the cut
pineapple and orange liqueur.  Set aside to macerate until ready to
assemble the soup. 5. Peel,  halve and core the pears. Slice them
crosswise 1/3-inch thick. 6. In  another medium nonreactive saucepan,
boil the red wine over high heat  until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, about 12
minutes. Stir in the reserved  orange syrup and orange zest and the
bouquet garni (tie all  ingredients in the listing for the bouquet
garnet in cheesecloth  before using). Bring to a simmer over moderately
low heat. Add the  pears and poach until wine-colored and tender when
pierced with a  knife, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon,
transfers the pears to  a plate to cool. 7. If desired, add another
teaspoon or so of sugar  to the wine mixture. Dissolve the cornstarch
in 2 tablespoons of  water and whisk into wine. Return to a boil over
high heat; boil for  1 minute to thicken. Pour the soup into another
nonreactive  container; let cool slightly; then cool completely in
refrigerator.  Squeeze the bouquet garni gently; discard. 8. In a food
processor,  puree the reserved candied orange slices and vanilla bean
seeds. Add  the creme fraiche and blend. Thin with the heavy cream to a
semi-liquid consistency. 9. To assemble the soup: Place the poached
pear slices in chilled shallow bowls or rimmed soup plates. Scatter
the orange sections and pineapple pieces evenly on top. Ladle 1/4-cup
of the soup over each serving. Place a dollop of the creme fraiche
mixture in the center of each bowl and garnish with a mint leaf.  Makes
6-8 servings. NOTE:  If you buy organic oranges or tangerines,  you
don't need to follow the scalding procedure in Step 2.  From Gemini's
MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 141
Calories From Fat: 51
Total Fat: 5.7g
Cholesterol: 17.8mg
Sodium: 26.3mg
Potassium: 206.4mg
Carbohydrates: 12.6g
Fiber: <1g
Sugar: 7.4g
Protein: 1.2g