This dessert is so easy but so impressive and delicious.

Ingredients

• 4 pears, peeled
• ½ cup sugar
• juice and peeled rind of one lemon
• 400 gram block frozen puff pastry, defrosted
• 2 tablespoons coarsley chopped chocolate
• beaten egg to glaze
• Pear scented custard
• 2 cups pear cooking liquid
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons custard powder
• 1 cup cream

Method

1. Place the whole peeled pears to fit into a saucepan and cover with water. Add the sugar and lemon juice and rind. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the pears are tender.
2. Remove the pears from the saucepan and cool. Reserve the cooking liquid to make the pear scented custard.

Roll out the pastry to 0.5mm thickness. Cut the pears in half. Cut the pastry into squares large enough to fit a pear half in its centre, allowing a border of about 1cm. The size of the pastry squares will vary depending on the variety of the pears. Our squares were 10cm x 10cm.

1. Place a little chocolate in the centre of the pastry; sit the pear half firmly on top.
2. Brush the pear and pastry with beaten egg to glaze.
3. Bake at 220ºC for 15 minutes untikl the pastry is well risen and golden. Serve hot with whipped cream or Pear Scented Custard.
4. Pear scented custard
5. Boil cooking liquid down to reduce to 1 cup. Mix together egg yolks, custard pwoder and cream to make a smooth paste and pour into the pear liquid.
6. Cook, stirring quickly and constantly over a moderate heat until thickened.

Cooks Tips

In place of pears use peach halves and fill the centres with grated white chocolate.