French Market Recipe 2023 31
Poires au chocolat
Chocolate coated pears
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 4 firm pears
- 500 ml red wine
- 100ml water
- 100g sugar
- 3 cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 100g chocolate
- 250ml fresh cream
Directions:
- Peel the pears but retain the stalks by peeling around them.
- Slice the bottom of the pears flat so that they stand upright in a saucepan.
- Use a sharp pointed knife to remove the core from the underneath of the pear, in order that the outside shape of the pear stays the same.
- Choose a saucepan where the pears just fit in side by side so that the liquid is as high as possible around the pears while they simmer.
- Pour the wine, cloves, nutmeg, bay leaves, and sugar into a heavy based saucepan, heat the liquid gently and stir the ingredients until the sugar melts.
- Add the pears so that they sit on the bottom of the saucepan and the liquid covers the majority of the pear.
- Simmer gently for about a half an hour until the pears are tender.
- Remove the pears carefully with a slatted spoon, retaining the stalks and keep them warm in a serving dish.
- Chop the chocolate into bits and add to the liquid in the saucepan, simmer gently until the chocolate has melted.
- Bring the liquid up to boil and allow it to thicken, about 5 minutes or less, check the thickness by coating the back of a spoon with the liquid, it should coat the spoon and not be too watery.
- Once the sauce seems thick enough, strain it through a sieve into a jug, to remove cloves and bay leaves.
- Place the pears in a large dish, or on separate plates.
- Pour the sauce over the pears and top with chocolate sauce.
- Whip the cream until it thickens.
Serve straight away accompanied by a bowl of fresh cream and a glass of mulled wine made with the Pavillon St Pierre from the Rhone valley.
Bon Appétit