Spiced poached pears in chocolate sauce

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N/A

Source

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

Method

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.