Gingered Pear Sorbet

Decorate each serving with a dash of ground ginger, fresh mint sprig or a sprinkling of finely chopped crystallized ginger.

1 (29 ounce) can pear halves,
    drained and syrup reserved
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped crystallized
    ginger or 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Heat 1 cup of the reserved syrup and the sugar to boiling, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Cool. Place pears, half at a time, in blender container; cover and purée until smooth. Mix syrup, purée, lemon juice and ginger; pour into metal ice cube tray with the dividers removed or a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Freeze until partially frozen, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Pour into blender; blend on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Return to ice cube tray. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

Let stand at room temperature about 10 minutes before serving. Yields 6 servings.