I’ve been trying to eat seasonally this year, but I have to admit: I’m starting to miss fresh fruit. Inspired by a recipe on Smitten Kitchen, I decided to whip up this simplified vanilla bean fruit salad using the few fruits in season right now. It’s simple, fresh, delicately sweet and only gets better as it hangs out in the refrigerator for a few days.

Vanilla beans are available in the bulk spices section of most grocery stores–they’re hideously expensive if you buy a whole bottle, so buy just a few from the bulk section.

Vanilla bean fruit salad

1 lemon
1 vanilla bean
½ cup granulated sugar
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Bosc pears, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pomegranate, seeded

Fill a small saucepan with 2 ½ cups of water. Stir in sugar. Remove half of the lemon peel with a knife and reserve the lemon for another use. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into the saucepan. Place lemon peel and vanilla bean pod in the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then pour over sliced apples and pears in a heatproof bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cooled. To serve, scoop out apples and pears with a slotted spoon, avoiding vanilla bean pod and lemon peel, and top with a handful of pomegranate seeds.