Poached pears with ricotta and hazelnuts recipe

This poached pear dessert makes an elegant dinner party pudding. It's simple to make and only takes about half an hour to whip up.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 15 minutes

SERVES

Five

INGREDIENTS

For the stock syrup:

• 500ml water

• 300g caster sugar

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 1 wide strip lemon zest

• 1 wide strip orange zest

• 1 star anise

• 2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled

For the pears:

• 5 William or conference pears

• 400g ricotta (I use Westcombe’s, made in Somerset)

• 175g mascarpone

• 100g icing sugar

• Grated zest of ½ lemon

• 50g toasted hazelnuts, skins rubbed off, roughly chopped

METHOD

1. Put all the ingredients for the stock syrup into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

2. Reduce to a simmer and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to infuse while it cools. This can be kept in the fridge until you need it.

3. Peel and carefully core each pear, leaving them whole and ideally with the stalks on. Lay them in a pan, along with the stock syrup.

4. Cover with a circle of parchment paper and sit a plate (smaller than the circumference of the pan) on top – this keeps the pears in the syrup while they cook.

5. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or a little less if the pears are really ripe – check them with the tip of a knife. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the syrup.

6. Beat the ricotta a little just to loosen, then mix in the mascarpone and icing sugar, beating to a smooth silky texture. Mix in the lemon zest.

7. To serve, spread the ricotta on five plates. Sit a pear in each one, with a touch of the cooking liquid. Finish with the chopped hazelnuts.