Pear And Mint Chocolate Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Chop the pears into small pieces and put in a pan with the lemon juice and sugar. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook for 10 mins. Uncover, then cook for 8-10 mins more until the juices thicken up. Spoon into 4 x 150ml ramekins and add a teaspoon of liqueur to each, if using.
• For the topping, sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl, then stir in the almonds. Whisk the egg white until stiff, then fold into the dry ingredients. Spoon over the pears and shake the ramekins to level the mixture. Bake for 20-25 mins until the topping is firm to the touch. Serve warm or cold.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush a 20 x 20cm square baking tin with butter, then line with two strips of baking parchment (see How to Line a Cake Tin).
• Weigh the butter and sugar into a large saucepan. Add the honey and a pinch of salt to the pan. Place the pan on the hob and turn the heat to medium. Stir carefully while the butter and sugar melt; once it's bubbling, turn off the heat and leave to cool for 5 mins.
• Meanwhile, place a large mixing bowl on the scales and weigh the oats.
• Open the can of pears and drain off the liquid through a sieve (save the liquid for another recipe, see below). Dry the pears on a little kitchen paper and chop them into small pieces. Add the pear pieces to the oats.
• Carefully pour the melted butter and sugar mixture into the bowl along with the oats and pears. Stir until well combined.
• Tip the oat mixture into the lined baking tin and press down with the back of your spoon to make a flat, even surface. Use oven gloves to carefully place the tin in the oven on the middle shelf. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown.
• Wearing oven gloves, carefully remove the tin from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
• Break the chocolate into small pieces and put in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir and microwave for another 15 seconds, or until the chocolate has melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the flapjacks. Leave to cool completely, then remove the flapjacks from the tin and cut into nine or 12 pieces.

Steps:

• Core pears from bottom, leaving stems intact. Peel pears. Cut 1/4 in. from bottom to level if necessary. Place in a large saucepan; add the water, vanilla, cinnamon stick and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes or until pears are almost tender., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and cinnamon. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool. , Drain pears; place on dessert plates. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Steps:

• Peel the pears, leaving the stalks intact, then take the core out from the bottom of each by using a small sharp knife or a melon baller. Flatten the bottom by slicing off a little bit so that it will sit upright when served. Put the pears into a saucepan with the zests, vanilla pod, sugar, cinnamon, white wine and 600ml water, then bring to the boil. Lower the heat and poach for about 20-25 mins until they are cooked all the way through, but are not so soft that they will fall apart. Leave to cool in the liquid. Can be made and chilled a day ahead.
• When cool, take the pears out, strain out the cinnamon, zest and vanilla pod (keep the pod, allow it to dry, then pop it into a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar), then pour the syrup back in the pan. Boil until reduced by half to a thin syrup.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Warm the cream, milk and butter in a heavy based pan. Stir this into the melted chocolate, set aside and keep warm. Can be made and chilled a day ahead. If the sauce cools and thickens too much, warm it again gently over a pan of simmering water or for 30 secs in a microwave. Serve the pears with plenty of syrup, chocolate sauce and good-quality vanilla ice cream.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll pastry out to 1/4 inch thickness and use it to line a 9-inch tart dish. Prick the pastry with a fork and then place into the freezer for 20 minutes to prevent pastry from rising during baking.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Set crust aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Heat a saucepan about 1/3-full of water to a low simmer, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to lowest setting. Place a heat-proof bowl over the pan in such a way that it does not touch the water. Add chocolate to the bowl and allow to melt. Limit stirring to an absolute minimum to prevent chocolate from separating.
• Mix ground almonds, eggs, sugar, and butter together in a bowl. Add warm melted chocolate and stir to combine. Pour chocolate mixture into the baked pastry crust.
• Arrange pears on top of the tart by pressing them into the chocolate mixture.
• Bake in the hot oven until pastry is golden and mixture is firm, 35 to 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Peel pears and cut in half lengthwise; remove cores. In a large skillet, bring sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat; add food coloring and extract. Carefully place pears in syrup. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until tender. , Place pears in a deep bowl; pour syrup over pears. Make sure pears are completely covered in the syrup to prevent browning. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until serving. Garnish with fresh mint.

Steps:

• Combine pear vodka, chocolate liqueur and cream in a shaker filled with ice cubes, and shake until very cold.
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
• Garnish with a chocolate curl.

Steps:

• Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Let cool slightly.
• Starting at bottom of each pear, use a teaspoon to remove core, leaving stem at top intact. Dip bottom three-quarters of each pear in chocolate. Transfer to a parchment-lined plate, and refrigerate until chocolate has set, at least 15 minutes (and up to 2 hours). Bring to room temperature before serving.

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the pears, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove pears and set them on a plate.
• In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt chocolate, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat. Spoon chocolate over pears to coat. Remove pears to a clean plate, and chill until serving. Serve cold.