You will need:
- Four firm cooking pears with stalks
- Juice of one lemon
- 570 ml water
- 300 grams of sugar
- one bay leaf
- two cloves
- Half a cinnamon stick
- 15 grams flaked almonds, toasted
- 250 ml water
- 240 grams caster sugar
- 140 grams plain chocolate
- 45 grams cocoa powder
- 15 grams cornflour
- 150 ml single cream
How to make poached pears with hot chocolate sauce and almonds
- Peel the pears and leave the stalk in place. Use a melon baller to remove the core from the base and level off with a knife so the pear will stand. Brush with lemon juice.
- Make a syrup from the water; sugar; bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Boil and allow to simmer for 2- 3 minutes.
- Add the peeled pears and the lemon juice. Cover the pears with foil and allow to simmer gently until the pears are just cooked (approximately 15-20 minutes). Test with the point of a knife and leave in the syrup to cool.
How to make the sauce
- Place the water; half the sugar and the chocolate in a saucepan. Bring slowly to the boil.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the cocoa powder; remaining sugar; cornflour and cream together to form a smooth cream. Pour some of the boiling mixture onto this and mix together.
- Pour this mixture back into the chocolate in the pan and whisk until the sauce boils and thickens.
- Spoon the chocolate sauce over the pears. Serve with ice cream and scatter with toasted almonds.