Fruit Royale

1 can (16 oz.) Pear halves
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 cup strawberry jelly
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 can (11 oz.) Mandarin orange sections, drained
Pound cake or vanilla ice cream

Drain pears, reserving 2 cup syrup. Slice pears; set aside. In medium saucepan blend reserved pear syrup into cornstarch. Stir in strawberry jelly; stir in lemon juice and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly, till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add pears and drained oranges to sauce. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Serve warm or chilled over slices of pound cake or scoops of ice cream. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Tip: To make this sauce into an elegant dessert, serve it flaming.

To flame brandy, pour 1/4 cup brandy into a ladle; warm over a burner till brandy almost simmers. Use a ladle with a protected handle or hold it with a pot holder. Quickly ignite brandy with a long match and pour over sauce. Stir; spoon sauce over cake or ice cream.

To flame sugar cubes, soak 6 sugar cubes in 1 tsp. lemon extract. Spoon sauce over cake or ice cream. Place a sugar cube on each serving and ignite.