Baked Whole Pears Stuffed with Almonds, Orange and Chocolate
Throw the following into a food processor until it looks like a crunchy peanut butter:
40g blanched almonds
70g butter
50g sugar
zest and juice of 1-2 oranges
seeds from 1 vanilla pod or splash of vanilla essence
generous splash of your favourite liqueur (e.g. Cointreau)
70g of your favourite chocolate
Lay out about 20 filo pastry sheets and cut in half. Carve out the core of four pears and create a decent hole for the stuffing. Stuff each pear generously with the mixture and wrap roughly with about 4-5 sheets of the filo, brushing lightly with melted butter as you go.
Leave the stalk sticking out of the top and firmly press the filo around the top near the stalk to make a parcel. Brush the final wrapping of each pear with melted butter and bake in a pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes at 170C.
To serve: Lay out four plates. Pour cream into the middle of the plate. Add a small dollop of strawberry or raspberry syrup or whatever is in the pantry. Use a toothpick and quickly flair out the syrup through the cream from centre to edge of plate. Place the pear in the middle of the plate and dust lightly with icing sugar.