Chocolate delice with roasted pears and macadamia nuts
Serves: 4
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Ant Duncan
Chocolate delice with roasted pears and macadamia nuts
Recipe by Ruth Hansom
Inspired by a chocolate, hazelnut and pear loaf cake served for afternoon tea during Great British Menu finalist Ruth Hansom's time at the Ritz, this delice is a perfect ending to any elevated dinner party
Serves: 4
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
719Kcal
Fat
52gr
Saturates
27gr
Carbs
53gr
Sugars
53gr
Fibre
4gr
Protein
7gr
Salt
0.1gr
Ruth Hansom
Ruth's experiences with food and cooking as a girl led her to apprentice at The Ritz. She won the Young National Chef of the Year award in 2017 and is now head chef at The Princess of Shoreditch gastro pub in London.
See more of Ruth Hansom’s recipes
Ruth Hansom
Ruth's experiences with food and cooking as a girl led her to apprentice at The Ritz. She won the Young National Chef of the Year award in 2017 and is now head chef at The Princess of Shoreditch gastro pub in London.
See more of Ruth Hansom’s recipes
Ingredients
- 175g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 3 medium egg yolks
- 25g caster sugar
- 200ml double cream
- 125ml whole milk
- 2 pears, peeled, cored and cut into slim quarters
- 40g demerara sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to garnish
- 40g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
To serve
- vanilla ice cream
Step by step
Get Ahead
Make the pears up to 5 days ahead and keep chilled in the fridge until needed. They also go well with yogurt or your morning porridge.
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of gently simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). In a separate bowl, use an electric hand whisk to whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
- Gently heat 100ml of the cream and the milk in a pan. Once warm, slowly pour it over the egg and sugar mixture, whisking all the time. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a low heat until it reaches 80°C using a cook’s thermometer, or until it coats the back of a spoon. Take care not to overheat, as the eggs could scramble. Fold into the melted chocolate until combined, then set aside to cool.
- Whisk the remaining cream to soft peaks and fold into the cooled chocolate mixture. Spoon into four small dessert glasses or bowls and chill until set, about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Place the pear quarters on a baking tray, then sprinkle over the demerara sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 25 minutes or until caramelised. Leave to cool. To serve, top the delice with the pears and macadamia nuts. Serve with vanilla ice cream and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon.
