I tend to be one of those people who seek refuge in rich, dark, decadent, chocolate dessert. Hence, Saturday marked the joyous return of Huxley but also the culmination of ten long days of flying solo with the kids while he was in Kansas City and San Francisco working (and living it up)! Needless to say I was slightly frazzled by the end of it all and was in desperate need of comfort. Thankfully my trusty Green & Black's Chocolate recipe book was close at hand.  

Recompense was found on page twelve in the form of a Chocolate and Pear Clafoutis. I was looking for instant gratification and simplicity so I decided to do away with the lofty notion of red wine jelly as an accompaniment and just make an effortless clafoutis. Besides there was a tub of crème fraîche in the fridge begging to be paired with this marvelous, gooey, mass of chocolate contentment.




Corrie my neighbour seems to possess an innate sense when it comes to my baking rituals. Within ten minutes of me pulling this dish of comfort out of the oven she was bashing on my door for a chat and a cup of tea. So although the recipe below can easily accommodate eight people I am pleased to inform you that I didn't demolish the whole dish myself. Yes I indulged, but I didn't indulge by myself!

Chocolate and Pear Clafoutis

Adapted from Green & Black's Chocolate Recipes 2003

Ingredients

6 ripe pears

200ml water

50ml Marsala

1tbsp brown sugar

80g unsalted butter

120g self-raising flour

100g almond meal

3 organic eggs

180ml thick cream

100g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids

120g caster sugar



Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.

2. Peel the pears and then quarter and core them. Place them in a saucepan with the water, Marsala and brown sugar and bring them slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow them to simmer gently for ten minutes.

3. Place chocolate in a bowl and place bowl on top of a saucepan of boiling water being careful not to get any water into the mixture as the chocolate will seize. Grease and sugar dust a baking dish and place the poached pears in the base of the dish.

4. Place flour, almond meal, sugar and butter in the food processor and process for 10-15 seconds or until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the eggs and cream and continue to process until well combined. Add the melted chocolate to the mixture and process until fully incorporated.

5. Pour the combined mixture over the pears and pop the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. When you insert a skewer in the clafoutis it will not come out clean as the clafoutis is meant to be slightly gooey. Serve warm with crème fraîche or vanilla ice-cream.