Ingredients
3 Beurre Bosc pears, peeled, halved and cored
1 cup caster sugar
3 cups water
3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
175g soft unsalted butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sifted self-raising flour
1 teaspoon sifted baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
100g ground almonds
Vanilla custard to serve
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C. Line a 23cm cake tin with nonstick baking
paper.
Put the caster sugar and water into a saucepan and gently cook until
the sugar dissolves. Add the pear halves to the pan. Gently cook the
pears for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from the syrup using a
slotted spoon and cool. Throw away the syrup.
Sprinkle the cake tin with the brown sugar and arrange the pears cut
side down over the sugar.
In a large bowl cream the butter and caster sugar until pale and
fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, along with 1 tablespoon of
flour, beating well between each addition. Fold through the
remaining flour, baking powder, cinnamon and almonds.
Spoon over the pears and smooth the surface. Bake in the oven for
50-55 minutes or until skewer inserted into the pudding comes out
clean. Remove from the oven and carefully turn out onto a serving
plate. Cut into slices and serve with vanilla custard.
Ingredients
1/4 cup light cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 pears
Method
In a small bowl, beat together the light cream cheese, vanilla,
sugar and lemon juice.
Spoon into a small bowl (or airtight container if taking to work).
When ready to eat, cut the pear into quarters, remove the core and
cut into wedges.
Dip into the vanilla cream.
Method
Brush the pears with lemon juice and set aside.
Bring the water, sugar and coffee to boil in a saucepan.
Reduce the heat and lower in the pears.
Gently simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until just tender but still firm.
Remove pears from the liquid with a slotted spoon, and drain on a
wire rack in the refrigerator.
Once drained, pat dry with kitchen towel.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a porcelain bowl over a saucepan of
hot water.
Dip dried pears into the chocolate, use a skewer if you wish, until
covered.
Leave to rest on waxy paper until the chocolate has set.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes, plus cooling time
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Serves 10-12
Ingredients
3 sheets shortcrust pastry (sweet or regular)
200g dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups cream
3 eggs yolks
2 pears (variety dependent on seasonality)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200° C. Lightly dust a clean work surface with
flour and place the 3 sheets of pastry in a pile. With a floured
rolling pin, roll out and trim the pastry into a circle with a
diameter of 36 cm. Line a 28 cm cake pan or tart pan with the
pastry. (The sides of the tart should be about 4 cm high).
Line the base of the tart shell with baking paper and fill with
baking weights or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven
and remove the baking weights. Cook for a further 6 minutes or until
the pastry is golden.
Place the chocolate and cream in a pan and cook over a low heat
while stirring, until it is smooth. Pour into a bowl and cool a
little. Stir in the egg yolks. Pour mixture into the tart shells and
bake at 150°C for 25-30 minutes or until the chocolate filling is
set. Remove from oven and cool so that the filling sets more.
Peel, core and slice the pears and arrange on top of the tart. Cut
tart into thin slices to serve.
