Poached pears and chocolate sauce recipe

A gorgeous dessert, this makes the most of underripe or cooking pears.

Poached pears and chocolate sauce 

The spices are yours to alter, and the water can be halved with wine or cider. The poaching time will vary depending on the variety of pear and degree of ripeness – conference pears are ideal because they won’t fall into pieces as softer varieties can. Under-ripe is good. The pears will keep in their liquid for up to five days in the fridge.

Serves 4

Ingredients
250g caster sugar
8 firm pears, peeled
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp cloves
½ vanilla pod, split along its length
½ tsp black peppercorns (optional)
Half a lemon (optional)
2 star anise (optional)

For the chocolate sauce
80g unsalted butter, cubed
170g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

Heat the sugar with 700ml water (or half wine) in a large saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears and all the flavourings. The pears must be completely submerged otherwise they won’t poach properly and will also discolour – so add a little more water if you need to. A “cartouche” – a circle of parchment paper with a small hole cut in the centre – can be laid on the surface to keep the pears submerged. Turn up the heat until the liquid is at a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
While the pears are cooking, make the chocolate sauce by melting the chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally. When the mixture is smooth, remove it from the heat but leave the bowl over the water to keep warm.
Test the pears with a sharp knife – if they are not cooked through, simmer them for a few minutes longer. Once cooked, take the pan off the heat and allow the pears to cool a little in the liquid. If you prefer a sweeter, more intense syrup, remove the pears to a warm bowl and reduce the liquid by simmering for a few minutes. Serve the pears while still warm, whole or halved and with seeds removed, bathed in a few spoonfuls of the aromatic syrup and the chocolate sauce. Clotted cream and/or shortbread were made to go with this.