Peel the pears, leaving the stalk intact.
Crush the cardamom pods.
Combine all the ingredients in a pan with about 1 litre of water, bring to a simmer .
Add the pears to this and poach the pears for about 2 hours or until tender.
Remove from the heat, allow to cool, keep covered for a couple of hours ,preferably overnight.
Remove the pears from syrup .
Boil the syrup until reduced to a sticky glaze, about 250ml.
Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of saffron glaze over the pears.
Serve with ice cream or cream.