Poached pears with hot chocolate sauce
This is seasonal, easy to make and absolutely delicious. You can poach the pears ahead of time, then store in a lidded tub, in their syrup, for up to 3 days.
- Serves6
- CourseDessert
- Prepare10 mins
- Cook30 mins
- Total time40 mins
Ingredients
- 6 firm dessert pears (such as Doyenné du Comice or Blush)
- 350g caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, halved
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 175ml Essential Double Cream
- 180g g Cooks’ Ingredients Belgian Dark Chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- 2 tbsp Waitrose Duchy Organic Whole Milk
- Ice cream, to serve (optional)
Method
Peel the pears, leaving the stalks in place, then cut out the cores. Slice off the bottom of each pear to make a flat base.
Put the sugar into a large saucepan with the vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon. Pour over 750ml water, then simmer for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves and turns syrupy.
Place the pears into the syrup, cover with a sheet of baking parchment to keep them submerged and poach gently for 20 minutes, or until the pears are tender. Carefully remove from the poaching syrup and leave to cool while you make the sauce.
Add the cream and chocolate to a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water – make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted, then stir in the milk until the sauce is glossy. Drizzle some sauce over the pears and serve with the remaining chocolate sauce and ice cream, if liked.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 2,258kJ/ 540kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 27g |
Saturated Fat | 16g |
Carbohydrates | 68g |
Sugars | 66g |
Fibre | 5.1g |
Protein | 4g |
Salt | 0.1g |