Chocolate Caramel Pears Recipes

UPSIDE-DOWN PEAR CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Butter a 9-inch round baking pan.
• To make the fruit topping, put the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan (one with a tight-fitting lid) and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then cover and cook for 2 minutes. (Covering in this way allows the steam to wash down the sides of pan, which will prevent any sugar crystals from forming.) Uncover the saucepan and continue to boil the sugar, gently and slowly swirling the pan as needed to cook the caramel evenly, until it becomes a dark amber color. Occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and allow it to harden. The pan will be very hot from the sugar, so take care in moving it if you need to. Fan the pear slices on top of the caramel in a circle around the perimeter, filling in the center with the remaining slices.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• To make the cake, place the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and melt, stirring occasionally. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Transfer the melted chocolate to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake bounces back slightly when touched. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a plate, leaving the pan on top of the cake for 5 minutes before you remove it. Serve the cake warm, topped with a small dollop of Chantilly cream or a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.
• Storage: Wrapped in plastic wrap, the cake will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.

QUICK & EASY CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add pears, one cut side down, and cook until browned, then reduce heat to medium and cook 3 minutes. Turn pears to other cut side and cook 4 minutes. Add sugar and 1 tablespoon water, swirling pan to combine. Turn pears skin side down and cook until sauce is thickened slightly, 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. Serve warm with ice cream.

CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, combine brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes. Add pears; cook and stir until pears are tender, 5-10 minutes longer. Serve over ice cream if desired.

SWEET CHOCOLATE PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Place pears in a small ovenproof pan. Mix orange juice with 1/4 cup sugar and pour over pears.
• Cook in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes; occasionally turn and sprinkle remaining sugar over pears. Remove pears from oven when soft and let cool.
• Pour orange juice mixture into a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until mixture thickens to the consistency of cream; remove from heat.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt chocolate. Add a few tablespoons of hot milk if the chocolate becomes too thick to stir.
• Put each pear in a small bowl. Pour the creamy orange sauce over each pear, then drizzle chocolate on top; serve warm.

PEARS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Peel the pears, leaving the stalks intact, then take the core out from the bottom of each by using a small sharp knife or a melon baller. Flatten the bottom by slicing off a little bit so that it will sit upright when served. Put the pears into a saucepan with the zests, vanilla pod, sugar, cinnamon, white wine and 600ml water, then bring to the boil. Lower the heat and poach for about 20-25 mins until they are cooked all the way through, but are not so soft that they will fall apart. Leave to cool in the liquid. Can be made and chilled a day ahead.
• When cool, take the pears out, strain out the cinnamon, zest and vanilla pod (keep the pod, allow it to dry, then pop it into a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar), then pour the syrup back in the pan. Boil until reduced by half to a thin syrup.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Warm the cream, milk and butter in a heavy based pan. Stir this into the melted chocolate, set aside and keep warm. Can be made and chilled a day ahead. If the sauce cools and thickens too much, warm it again gently over a pan of simmering water or for 30 secs in a microwave. Serve the pears with plenty of syrup, chocolate sauce and good-quality vanilla ice cream.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PEARS

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, heat caramels and water over low heat just until caramels are melted. Remove from the heat; cool slightly. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each pear so it sits flat. Dip pears halfway in caramel; turn to coat and allow excess to drip off. Dip in nuts and place on a greased baking sheet; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until coating is firm. In a heavy saucepan or microwave oven, melt chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon shortening; stir until smooth. In another saucepan, melt vanilla chips with remaining shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle melted chips over pears and stems. Let stand until set. Yield: 6 servings. See more recipes at: www.havefunbaking.com And also at: www.lovetobakeandcook.blogspot.com

CHOCOLATE PECAN CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil; butter the foil with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with pecans and chocolate chips; set aside. , In a heavy saucepan, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 248° (firm-ball stage)., Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Cool completely before cutting.

BAKED CARAMEL PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Peel, halve and core the pears. Place them, cut side up, in a flameproof baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer.
• Dot the pears with the butter, sprinkle with sugar, and place in the oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the juices, until the pears are tender when pierced in the thickest part with a sharp knife.
• Remove the pears from the baking dish, and transfer them to a plate. Pour any juice back into the baking dish, and add any undissolved sugar from the pear cavities.
• Set the baking dish over high heat on top of the stove, and cook, stirring constantly, until the juices become thick, bubbly and turn a light caramel color. Pour in the cream, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is smooth and a rich brown.
• Transfer the pears to 6 shallow bowls; spoon caramel over each. Sprinkle with the nuts, and serve.

CARAMEL PEAR BLONDIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 20 x 20cm square cake tin.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, swirling it around. Allow to bubble for a few minutes, or until it turns a light golden brown and smells biscuity. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.
• Tip the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk together with the light and dark sugars until just combined. Whisk through the melted butter, vanilla and salt.
• Gently fold through the flour, baking powder, dried pears and most of the chocolate chunks, being careful not to overmix (this will make the blondies dense).
• Pour the mixture into the lined tin. Top with the remaining chocolate and dollops of the caramel. Put in the centre of the oven to bake for 40 mins, or until a skewer inserted comes out with sticky crumbs (it shouldn't be wet). Leave to cool completely in the tin. It will sink a little - the centre should be slightly squidgy. Cut into 12 squares. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.

CARAMEL GLAZED PEARS

Steps:

• Combine the wine, vanilla bean and lemon rind in a large saucepan. Peel the pears carefully with a vegetable peeler and pull out the blossom end with the tip of the peeler so the pears will be able to stand up. Leave the stem attached. As you peel the pears, drop them in the wine.
• Bring the wine to simmer and cook the pears until they are tender but not mushy, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the pears from the syrup and set them aside. Boil poaching liquid to a fourth of a cup.
• Stand the pears up on a baking sheet. Fill a shallow pan with cold water for cooling the caramel and set aside.
• Heat the sugar and one cup of water in a small saucepan without stirring until it turns a deep honey color. Remove the saucepan from the heat and dip the bottom in the pan of cold water to stop the caramel from coloring any further. Pour the hot caramel over each pear, covering it completely. If the caramel hardens while you are working, reheat it.
• Place a spoonful of poaching liquid on each of four plates. Top with a pear and garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche.

ROASTED PEARS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a baking pan large enough to hold the pears in a single layer: set in the heating oven until it melts.
• Sprinkle sugar over melted butter, then place pears, cut side down, on top. Bake until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, turn pears over and baste with pan sauce. Return to oven; bake until golden and glossy, about 10 minutes longer.
• Let cool slightly. Transfer pears to dessert plates or bowls. Top each with dollop of sour cream, drizzle with caramel pan sauce, sprinkle with nuts and serve.