Serves 4
4 small pears, peeled and cored
2 cups apple and
cranberry juice
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp agar-agar powder
100g raspberries
8 mint leaves
1 Put pears in a saucepan with apple and cranberry juice, 2 cups water, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until pears are soft. Remove pears and allow to cool slightly.
2 Strain cooking liquid and discard spices. Reserve 2 cups liquid and return to saucepan. Add agar-agar and stir over low heat until dissolved.
3 Stand pears upright in 4 serving glasses and sprinkle with raspberries and mint. Pour liquid into each glass until halfway up pear and put aside to set at room temperature (takes about 2 hours).
TIP: you can use gelatine instead of agar-agar, following the directions on the packet for the setting quantities. However, the jellies need to be refrigerated to set, which takes about 4 hours.