Chocolate and Poached Pear Puddings with Chocolate Sauce
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Pears and chocolate are a classic match, made doubly delicious with chocolate sauce. The sour cream gives a lovely soft texture.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
4 small firm but ripe pears, peeled
4 cups water
1 ½ cups caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
Puddings
1 cup plain flour
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup chopped dark chocolate
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup melted butter
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules
Chocolate sauce
½ cup cream
¾ cup chopped dark chocolate
icing sugar for dusting
softly whipped cream for serving
4 x 1½ cup-capacity ovenproof ramekins, lightly greased
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Pears: Put the water, sugar and cinnamon stick in a saucepan that will hold all the pears without too much extra space. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar then add the pears. Cover with a piece of baking paper and place a small plate on top to keep the pears submerged. Cook at a gentle simmer for 10-15 minutes until the pears are tender when pierced with a skewer but not falling apart. Gently remove the pears with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen towels to cool.
Sauce: Heat the cream in a small saucepan to just below boiling point. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until smooth. If made ahead, re-heat to serve.
Puddings: Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir in the chocolate. Whisk the remaining ingredients in another bowl then add to the dry ingredients. Gently mix until just combined but don’t over beat or the puddings will be tough. Place a small spoonful of the mixture in the base of each dish and top with a pear. This holds the pear in place. Using a teaspoon, spoon the remaining mixture evenly around the pears. Place on a baking tray and cook for 13-15 minutes until the puddings are puffed and just a little soft when you press the surface.
To serve: Place each pudding on a plate and dust with icing sugar. Serve with warm chocolate sauce and softly whipped cream.
Do ahead: You can poach the pears up to 1 week ahead and keep chilled, submerged in the poaching liquid until ready to use.
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Issue #114
Autumn has arrived, and with it, the latest issue of dish, jam-packed with recipes that will have you fizzing to get in the kitchen! With a long Easter lunch featuring perfectly pink, blushing roast leg of lamb and wildly decadent baked mashed potatoes with caramelised onions, to simply scrumptious chocolate treats and sensational seasonal baking this issue has you covered - we reckon the Hot Cross Buns are our best yet! Salads make way for soothing soups, pies, puddings and our cover star beef cheek ragù with spaghetti – a must-make dinner for family and friends. With over 60 recipes in our latest issue there’s plenty of inspiration to keep you busy – and well-fed! Don’t forget to share your dish dishes with our Facebook community.