(Poached Pear & Chocolate)

1 litre white wine

2 cups sugar

1 lemon (juice and peel)

1 vanilla bean

100mg saffron

2 fresh bay leaf

4 pears (buerre bosc pears)

125gm dark chocolate (70%)

200ml pouring cream

Sea salt

In a medium sized pot (you don’t want the pot to big, medium is better so you don’t need to add too much liquid), add in white wine, sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice, 1 vanilla bean (seeds scraped out and skin added in as well), saffron and bay leaf and place on low heat and allow to come to simmer.

As it simmers peel the pears and slice the bottoms to flatten. Once poaching liquid hit sa high simmer, lower heat and add in the pears. Top with enough water to cover the pears just. Add a cartouche on top and allow to gently simmer for 40-50 minutes. A toothpick should easily pierce through when cooked through its thickest part.

Once pears are cooked, allow to sit for as long as possible. Then remove pears and simmer down the poaching liquid slowly to create the most incredible syrup known to human.

For chocolate sauce heat chocolate pieces and pouring cream in pot and slowly heat until melted and homogenous. Add salt to taste to taste.

To serve add pear to plate, spoon over syrup and then pour on top the chocolate sauce.