Vanilla Bean Slow Roasted Pears

Ingredients:

• 4 pears, peeled, cored and cut in half
• 10g (2 tbs) of butter, chopped into small pieces
• 50g of sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius (250 Fahrenheit) and line a roasting pan with baking paper.
2. Add the pears, sugar and vanilla (seeds and pod) to a bowl and mix to combine.  Place the pears (cut side up) into the roasting pan.
3. Top the pears with the pieces of butter and roast in the oven for 2 hours or until the pears are tender, checking every half hour or so to turn the pears and baste in the juices.

Pedro Ximénez Chocolate Ganache Tart
Recipe adapted from July 2011 Gourmet Traveler

Pâte Sucrée

Ingredients:

• 200g of plain flour
• 60g of pure icing sugar
• 120g of cold butter, coarsely chopped
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tbs of iced water
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 beaten egg

Method:

1. In a food processor combine the flour, icing sugar and salt and process to combine.
2. Add the butter and iced water and process until the mixture resembles fine crumbs before adding the the yolk. Process to combine.
3. Turn out the pastry onto a cling film and form into a disc using the back of your hand.  Wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. Prepare 1 large fluted tart tin or 2 medium or 8 mini fluted tart tins.
5. Roll out the pastry between 2 sheets of lightly floured baking paper to a thickness of 2mm and line the tart tins with the pastry and trim the edges.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (355 Fahrenheit).
7. Line the tarts with baking paper and add pastry weights and blind bake the tarts until golden – about 15 minutes.  Remove the baking paper and pastry weights and brush the inside of the tart with the beaten egg and bake again until crisp – about 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.
8. Once cool, thinly slice 3 pear halves and line the tart bases.

Pedro Ximénez Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

• 330ml of pouring cream
• 30ml of Pedro Ximénez sherry
• 250g of 70% Lindt chocolate, finely chopped

Method:

1. Place the cream and Pedro Ximénez in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
2. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until smooth.  Let it stand for 10 minutes before pouring into the tart shells over the pear slices.
3. Refrigerate until set.
4. Serve with the remaining pears and whipped cream.