Pears Covered With Chocolate Recipes

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED PEARS

Steps:

• Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Let cool slightly.
• Starting at bottom of each pear, use a teaspoon to remove core, leaving stem at top intact. Dip bottom three-quarters of each pear in chocolate. Transfer to a parchment-lined plate, and refrigerate until chocolate has set, at least 15 minutes (and up to 2 hours). Bring to room temperature before serving.

CHOCOLATE-WRAPPED PEARS

Steps:

• Dissolve the sugar in the water. Add the lemon juice, spices and creme de menthe and simmer, tightly covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Peel the pears carefully, leaving stems intact, and cut a slice off the bottoms so they will stand upright.
• Poach the pears in gently boiling syrup until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool pears in the syrup and then chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl over warm water. Add the butter and stir until it is melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Remove the pears from the syrup and dry carefully with paper towel. Dip each pear in the melted chocolate to coat evenly. Use a spoon, if necessary, to fill in uncoated spots. Lift the pears out of the chocolate to drain off excess. Arrange on serving dish. Decorate the top of each pear with a sprig of fresh or crystallized mint. Chill until ready to serve.

PEARS COVERED WITH CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the pears, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove pears and set them on a plate.
• In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt chocolate, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat. Spoon chocolate over pears to coat. Remove pears to a clean plate, and chill until serving. Serve cold.

PEARS IN CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Leave stems on peeled pears. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
• In a saucepan large enough to accommodate 4 pears standing upright, combine water and sugar. Place over medium heat, and boil until sugar is dissolved. Stir in vanilla, then place the pears in. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool in liquid, then drain.
• In the top of a double boiler, combine chocolate, cream and butter. Heat, stirring, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in coffee liqueur.
• Place pears on serving dish, pour chocolate sauce over pears, and garnish with maraschino cherries.

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.

SPICED POACHED PEARS IN CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• 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.

POACHED PEARS WITH DARK CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Bring ginger, honey, and water to a boil over high heat in a medium pot. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel pears and halve lengthwise. Use a melon baller to scoop out cores. Gently lower pears into pot. Cover surface with a round of parchment paper.
• Cook pears until a paring knife slides easily into them, about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on ripeness. Remove with a wooden spoon and transfer to a bowl. Pour poaching liquid over. Serve warm or chilled.
• To serve, place pear halves in a bowl and drizzle with melted chocolate.

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.