Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 4 firm but ripe pears, peeled, with stalks still attached
  • vanilla ice cream, to serve
  • 200g dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • 100ml double cream
  • 3 cardamom pods, seeds removed and crushed

Instruction

  • Pour 1.5 litres of cold water into a medium pan. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add the pod and seeds to the water with the sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Add the pears and place a piece of baking paper on top to keep them submerged, then simmer gently for 20 minutes.
  • Insert a skewer or small sharp knife into the pears to test whether they’re tender. If not, simmer for a further 5 minutes. When the pears are cooked, leave them to cool in the syrup for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight, to give them time to take on the flavour of the vanilla.
  • To make the sauce, put the chocolate into a bowl. In a pan, bring the cream to the boil with the crushed cardamom seeds, then pour it over the chocolate. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes until the chocolate has melted, then stir the sauce gently until smooth. Do not over mix or the sauce may split – the cocoa solids will separate from the cocoa butter.
  • To serve, remove the pears from the syrup and stand them upright on individual plates. Pour a generous helping of chocolate sauce over them and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.