Spooky Pear and Orange Cider

To make the ghosty pears:

Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the 4 firm pears in half lengthwise; keep the stems, if possible, but remove the core by scooping out the center with an apple corer or teaspoon. Scoop out two more holes above the core for the "eye sockets". Place onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the pear & orange cider:

Place 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground star anise, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 1 vanilla pod, 1 cup light brown sugar, 4 pears cut into quarters, 2 oranges cut into quarters, 4-6 whole cinnamon sticks, and 12 cups of water into a large pot. Bring to boil over a high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue boiling uncovered for 1 hour. After one hour, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and break-up the pears with a potato masher or wooden spoon to release the flavor. Cover the pot with the lid, turn up the heat to medium-low and continue boiling for 2 hours.

Let cool on the stove, covered, for 1 hour. Strain the cider through a fine mesh sifter into a heatproof bowl, mashing and pressing the oranges and pears into the sifter, then discard the solids. Serve hot if desired (cider can be kept warm on the lowest heat of the stove or in a crockpot). If serving cold: transfer into a serving pitcher, add ice, and a few baked "pear ghosts". Enjoy! 👻