Serves 8
5 small pears (total weight 440 g)
375ml verjuice 1⁄4 cup
55g castor sugar
300g dark chocolate 70% cocoa
250g unsalted butter
4 free range eggs
2 free range egg yolks
200g brown sugar
60g plain flour, sifted
40g dutch cocoa sifted (unsweetened)
Pre-heat a fan forced oven to 160˚C.
Cut peeled pears into wedges (sixths). Cut out the core.
Over medium heat place the pear into a medium size pot. Add Verjuice and sugar and simmer 10 minutes, or until the pears are cooked.
Remove from heat and remove the pears from the syrup. Cool, then cut each piece in half.
Melt chocolate and butter over a low heat in a bowl on top of a small pot (the chocolate mustn’t come into contact with steam). Blend the chocolate and butter and cool.
Beat eggs, egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer until thick and pale.
Stir in the chocolate mixture, then fold in flour and cocoa.
Place the pears in a large greased baking dish (20 cm x 9.5 cm). Pour in the chocolate mixture and place on a baking tray. Bake for approx. 1 hour to 1½ hours until pudding comes away from the sides and the centre should be a little gooey.
Serve warm dusted with cocoa and crème fraiche.
Recipe is an extract from cookbook Rediscovering Pears, available nationwide on June 7. To listen to an interview about pears and baking with Pastry chef Vincent Gadan click here.
