Recipe: Spiced Poached Pear & White Chocolate by MasterChef 2016 finalist ‘The Culinary Chemist’

Stuart Archer also known as ‘The Culinary Chemist’ and for his appearance in MasterChef 2016 offers a bespoke Private Dining Experience. Upon catching up with Stuart to get all the details on his Private Dining offering, he also shared with us this delicious Autumn recipe. Enjoy!

Spiced Poached Pear & White Chocolate

Serves 4
Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
4 pears
2 cinnamon sticks, snapped in half
2 star anise, crushed
4 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
100g good quality white chocolate
Good quality vanilla ice cream to serve
Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees C. Peel the pears, leaving the stalk on. Slice around 1cm off the base of the pear so it stands flat. With a small knife, carefully scrape out the seeds from the base.
2. Place 1/2 cinnamon stick and 1/2 a star anise in the cavity left by the knife. Place in a sealable, heat-proof plastic food/freezer bag (a zip-lock one would be perfect!). Toss the pears in the sugar until well coated, then seal the bag around the pear as tightly as possible (for extra flavour, leave the pears to marinade overnight before poaching).
3. You’ll need a tall saucepan with a close fitting lid – fill it about 3/4 with water and bring to gentle boil. Carefully place the bags with the pears into the water, making sure that no water can get into the bag – trap the ends of the bag with the pan lit so it’s held upright if necessary. Pop the lid on the pan and simmer the pears for 30-45 minutes, or until tender.
4. Meanwhile, break the white chocolate into small pieces. Line a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper, then spread the white chocolate pieces out on the paper. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring the chocolate with a fork every 5 minutes or so. When done, the white chocolate will caramelize and resemble golden crumbs – careful not to burn it. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
5. When the pears are done, remove from the bags, reserving the syrup. Remove the spices from the pear and discard. In a bowl, stand the pear on it’s base, then spoon over a generous amount of the white chocolate. Add a little of the poaching liquor to the bottom of the bowl, plus a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve!

Find out more about Stuart Archer ‘The Culinary Chemist’ and his Private Dining Experiences.
Want a signed copy of the new Sheffield Cookbook: Second Helpings? Available to pre-order now via Stuart’s website, featuring his ‘Sheffield Fishcake’ and ‘Henderson’s relish and chocolate ice cream’ recipes.