Winter Fruit Salad

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 star anise
• 1 plump vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 2 2-inch long pieces lemon zest (peeled with a vegetable peeler), preferably Meyer lemons
• 3 firm Bosc pears
• 1 firm tart apple
• 8 dried Turkish apricots, cut in half
• 4 dried figs, quartered

1. Fill a medium saucepan with 5 cups water.
2. Add the sugar, star anise, vanilla bean and lemon zest.
3. Bring to a boil, and cook until all the sugar is dissolved.
4. Then shut off the heat.
5. Meanwhile, peel and core pears and apple.
6. Slice thinly lengthwise and place in a large heatproof bowl.
7. Add apricots and figs.
8. Pour hot sugar syrup on top, making sure all the fruit is covered.
9. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; poke a few holes in plastic.
10. Chill overnight in refrigerator.
11. The next morning, using a slotted spoon ladle fruit into a serving bowl and serve.

sugar, anise, vanilla bean, long pieces, pears, apple, turkish

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1834 (may not work)