SPICED POACHED PEARS IN CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Spiced poached pears in chocolate sauce image

You won't need an excuse to indulge in this updated classic, but if you do, remember that fruit contributes to your 5-a-day!

Provided by Barney Desmazery

Time 1h

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

750g golden caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 strips lemon zest (use a potato peeler)
1 star anise
1 vanilla pod , split lengthways
5 cloves
piece fresh root ginger , peeled and sliced
4 ripe pears , peeled
200g good-quality dark chocolate
142ml double cream
150ml full-fat milk
pinch ground cinnamon
vanilla ice cream , to serve

Steps:

In a pan big enough to hold the pears snugly, tip in all the ingredients except the pears. Half fill the pan with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 mins to infuse, drop in pears, cover and gently poach for about 30 mins until soft. Turn off the heat and set aside. The pears can be poached up to 2 days ahead and kept in the poaching syrup in the fridge.
To make the chocolate sauce, tip the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream, milk and cinnamon to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted. To serve, drain the pears and, holding them by the stem, dip them in the chocolate sauce to completely cover. Serve each pear with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 642 calories, Fat 41 grams fat, SaturatedFat 22 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 66 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 58 grams sugar, Fiber 6 grams fiber, Protein 6 grams protein, Sodium 0.06 milligram of sodium