Serves 4-6
3 pears
2 cardamom pods, bruised
1 x 2cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely sliced
¼ cup caster sugar
1 Tbs butter
3 Tbs water
180ml cream
1 vanilla pod, split
100ml milk
150g dark chocolate
3 egg yolks
2 Tbs icing sugar
1 Preheat oven to 170C. Halve and core the pears. Butter a baking dish then lay the pears, cardamom and ginger.
2 Sprinkle each pear with sugar and dot with the butter. Pour over the water, cover with tinfoil and bake for 1 hour.
3 Turn the oven down to 150C. Pour the cream into a saucepan, add the vanilla pod and seeds and warm. Cover, turn off the heat and let infuse for 30 minutes.
4 Pour the milk into a second saucepan and add the chopped chocolate then let melt over a gentle heat.
5 Whisk the yolks and icing sugar together until pale then add the vanilla cream, and then the chocolate milk mixture. Blend thoroughly and pour into a baking dish or individual ramekins. Bake in a bain-marie for approximately 40 minutes or until slightly puffed and set. Serve with the baked pears.
6 This dessert can be eaten straight away or chilled overnight.
<i>Amanda Laird:</i> Baked chocolate with cardamom pears
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