PEARS IN MERINGUE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Pears in Meringue with Chocolate Sauce image

Provided by Food Network

Categories dessert

Time 8h30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

1 tablespoon toasted almonds, finely chopped
1 cup glace fruits (preferably cherries, ginger, apricot, fig, and pineapple), finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons rum
3/8 cup water
Small piece cinnamon bark
4 tablespoons apricot jam
4 pears, peeled, halved, and cored
2 egg whites
4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more to dust
4 squares dark chocolate, chopped

Steps:

Soak almonds, glace fruit, and 1/4 cup rum together overnight.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine water, cinnamon, and jam in a large saucepan. Boil until well incorporated and syrupy. Reduce heat. Add pears and cook gently for 5 minutes. Remove to an ovenproof dish. Fill cavities with crystallized fruit. Reserve pan syrup, discarding cinnamon bark.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in confectioners' sugar. Pipe this meringue over pears. Dust with confectioners' sugar and bake for 5 minutes.
Stir chocolate pieces into warm syrup and add rum.
Serve pears on a heated platter, surrounded with warm chocolate sauce.