Knife And Forks Pear And Chocolate Dessert Recipes

PEAR AND CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll pastry out to 1/4 inch thickness and use it to line a 9-inch tart dish. Prick the pastry with a fork and then place into the freezer for 20 minutes to prevent pastry from rising during baking.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Set crust aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Heat a saucepan about 1/3-full of water to a low simmer, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to lowest setting. Place a heat-proof bowl over the pan in such a way that it does not touch the water. Add chocolate to the bowl and allow to melt. Limit stirring to an absolute minimum to prevent chocolate from separating.
• Mix ground almonds, eggs, sugar, and butter together in a bowl. Add warm melted chocolate and stir to combine. Pour chocolate mixture into the baked pastry crust.
• Arrange pears on top of the tart by pressing them into the chocolate mixture.
• Bake in the hot oven until pastry is golden and mixture is firm, 35 to 45 minutes.

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.

UPSIDE-DOWN PEAR CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 10-inch cake pan. Line the pan with parchment or waxed paper and lightly oil the paper.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Mix until thoroughly blended.
• Line the bottom of the cake pan with the pears in a circular design. Pour the batter on top of the pears. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Place on a cooling rack and let stand for 10 minutes. With a butter knife, cut around the edge of the cake, loosening the sides. Invert the pan onto a plate. Using the handle of the knife, vigorously tap the top of the pan, even shaking it a bit, to loosen the cake. Leave the pan over the cake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan and let the cake cool completely.

PEAR CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Coat a 9-inch round pan with cooking spray.
• Beat butter or margarine in large bowl until creamy; add white sugar, and beat until fluffy.
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; add alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
• Spread a little more than half of the batter in the prepared pan.
• Cover with pear slices and dust with chocolate, and add remaining batter by tablespoons covering well pears and chocolate.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 to 60 minutes, until toothpick test done.
• Remove pan to wire rack to cool.
• If you wish dust with confectioners' sugar.

POACHED PEARS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Core pears from bottom, leaving stems intact. Peel pears. Cut 1/4 in. from bottom to level if necessary. Place in a large saucepan; add the water, vanilla, cinnamon stick and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes or until pears are almost tender., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and cinnamon. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool. , Drain pears; place on dessert plates. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.

CHOCOLATE-AND-PEAR PIE

Steps:

• For the Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl (or in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), whisk together butter, egg yolk, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in flour to combine, then knead mixture with your hands a few times to form a soft, pliable dough.
• Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a standard 9-inch pie dish. Refrigerate until firm, at least 20 minutes or, covered, up to 1 day.
• For the Filling: In a large bowl (or mixer fitted with paddle attachment), whisk together butter, 3/4 cup sugar, eggs and egg white, vanilla, salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and cocoa until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in flour just to combine, then chocolate and ginger.
• Peel, halve, and core pears, then immediately toss in a bowl with lemon juice (to prevent browning). With flat sides facing down, slice pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices, and fan out slices slightly (like a hand of playing cards) but do not separate. Arrange slices from one half of the pear in a single layer on the bottom of the chilled crust.
• Pour brownie batter into crust, smoothing top with an offset spatula. Arrange remaining sliced-and-fanned pear halves on top of batter. Drizzle with remaining lemon juice from bowl (you should have about 2 teaspoons).
• Stir together remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over pears. Bake until pie is puffed and set along edges but still slightly wobbly in center, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack until no longer hot, about 30 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream.

KNIFE AND FORK'S PEAR AND CHOCOLATE DESSERT

Steps:

• Drain pears, reserving syrup.
• Melt chocolates with 4 tablespoons pear syrup.
• Let chocolate syrup cool.
• Whip cream with sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
• Put pears in a large serving dish or individual dishes.
• Cover with whipped cream.
• Spoon chocolate over whipped cream.
• Chill until serving time.