Ingredients
Method
1.Preheat oven to 140°C. Place cream, sugar, chocolate and vanilla in saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until hot (do not boil). Remove from heat.
2.Whisk yolks and egg in heat-proof bowl until well combined. Remove vanilla pod from milk mixture. Pour milk mixture over egg mixture, whisking constantly.
3.Chill custard mixture for 20 minutes, then skim all bubbles off the surface. Pour into 4 small ovenproof bowls.
4.Place bowls in a deep roasting dish. Pour boiling water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the bowls. Carefully place the roasting dish in the oven and cook for 35 minutes.
5.While custards are in the oven, peel pears (keeping stalk intact) and place in a large pot with remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
6.Remove from heat. Leave pears in poaching liquid for 10 minutes, then remove and halve lengthways.
7.After removing from oven, top each custard with a pear and spoon over a little poaching liquid. Serve immediately.
Mike’s Top Tips: When making custard or crème brûlée, rest the mix before baking so the bubbles don’t rise during cooking When cooking with chocolate, always pick the darkest option with a high cocoa content. It’s healthier and gives a richer flavour.
Note
