Lamb Tajine With Pears And Honey

(Serves 6)
2 - 3 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder
2 lbs. fresh pears
4 medium onions
4 TBS. butter
5 TBS. honey
1 TBS. cinnamon
1 pinch saffron
salt and fresh ground pepper
Cut the lamb into cubes about 1" square.
Melt the butter in a dutch oven or casserole (which has a cover). Add lamb, salt, pepper, cinnamon and saffron. Mix well and sauté lamb until brown.
Cover meat with water. Cook covered for 30 minutes.
Peel the onions. Cut into large pieces. Add to the lamb mixture. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes.
When the lamb is thoroughly cooked and tender (perhaps an additional 15 - 30 minutes), remove the lamb (only) from the casserole. Peel the pears. Cut into large pieces. Add pears to the casserole along with the honey. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes until the pears are just becoming tender.
Add the lamb back to the casserole and cook for another 10 minutes to blend all the flavors. (At this point, if the sauce is too thin, it can be reduced by temporarily removing it from the meat, pears, and onion mixture and cooking the sauce in a separate saucepan until it thickens. Then add the thickened sauce back to the lamb, pears and onions).
Serve with couscous.
(from: Odile Grand-Clement, our friend from Paris, France)