Recipe by Theo Kalogeracos & Vince Gareffa

This can be served at the end of any great meal. This dessert is simple to do but it has such depth of flavours and textures, all your guests will be asking you for the recipe.

Serves 2 people

Ingredients 2 tablespoons pecan toffee:

• 150gm chopped pecans
• 500gm castor sugar
• 250ml water

Method Pecan Brittle :
In a pot or a non stick pan dissolve sugar in the water, stir over low heat until the syrup starts to boil.

Keep stirring till the syrup turns a light brown colour, then add the chopped pecans, and remove from the heat.

Place grease proof paper on a baking tray, then pour toffee mixture evenly over the grease proof paper. Let it cool then break up into small bite size pieces.

Icing sugar for dusting

Ingredients Poached Pears:

• 1 pear peeled and de cored
• 1 bottle red wine (if you cant drink it don’t cook with it)
• 2 cups castor sugar
• 2 star anise
• 100gm Cambozola  (combination of gorgonzola & brie)
• 2 tablespoons vino cotto
  (You can buy this in small bottles or after you have poached your pear in the wine, leave the pot on a low flame and let it reduce for 30 to 50 minutes till it becomes thick like honey, that’s how you make your own)

Method Poached Pears:

Pour the wine into a small deep pot on a medium flame, and add the sugar.
Using a whisk dissolve the sugar, allow the wine to boil.

Place pear into wine to poach.
It should take 10 to 15 minutes to poach the pear. If part of the pear is sticking up out of the wine keep turning it over so the whole pear is evenly poached in the wine.
You can tell when it’s ready by using a skewer or a thin sharp knife by pushing it in to the pear. If it is hard to push in it is not ready.
You also do not want to over poach the pear as it will become too soft and mushy, the pear should have a firm texture, when the pear is ready.

Take the pear out of the wine and cut down the middle, place half on plate with the cut half facing up, you should be able to see how the wine has soaked into the pear.

In the center of the pear where the core was taken out is where you place the cambozola, sprinkle the pecan toffee over the pear and cambozolo.

The toffee gives it a nice texture by giving the dish a sweet crunch, dust with icing sugar and then drizzle the vino cotto evenly all around the pear.