Roasted Pears With Hazelnut Syrup And Candied Hazelnuts Food

TRAY-BAKED MERINGUE WITH PEARS, CREAM, TOASTED HAZELNUTS AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a sheet of waxed paper.
• Put your egg whites into a squeaky clean bowl, making sure there are absolutely no little pieces of egg shell or egg yolk in them. Whisk on medium until the whites form firm peaks. With your mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and the pinch of salt. Turn the mixer up to the highest setting and whisk for about 7 or 8 minutes, until the meringue mixture is white and glossy. To test whether it's done you can pinch some between your fingers - if it feels completely smooth it's ready; if it's slightly granular it needs a little more whisking.
• Dot each corner of the waxed paper with a blob of meringue, then turn it over and stick it to the baking sheet. Spoon the meringue out onto the paper. Using the back of a spoon, shape and swirl it into a rectangle. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until crisp on the outside and a little soft and sticky inside. At the same time, bake the hazelnuts on a separate sheet in the oven for 1 hour or until golden brown.
• Drain the cans of pears, reserving the syrup from 1 can. Cut each pear half into 3 slices. Pour the pear syrup into a saucepan with the ginger, if using, and warm gently over a medium heat until it starts to simmer. Take off the heat and snap the chocolate into the saucepan, stirring with a spoon until it's all melted.
• Take the meringue and hazelnuts out of the oven and leave to cool. Place the meringue on a nice rustic board or platter. Whip the cream with the sifted icing sugar and the vanilla seeds until it forms smooth, soft peaks. Smash the toasted hazelnuts (in a kitchen towel) and sprinkle half of them over the top of the meringue. Spoon half the whipped cream over the top and drizzle with some of the chocolate sauce (if the sauce has firmed up, melt it slightly by holding the saucepan over a large pan of boiling water). Divide most of the pear pieces evenly over the top. Pile over the rest of the whipped cream and pears. Drizzle with some more chocolate sauce, then sprinkle over the remaining toasted hazelnuts with some grated orange zest. Serve straightaway. If you're making this in advance, get everything ready and assemble at the last minute.

CANDIED HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer, and cook, swirling occasionally, until medium amber, about 4 minutes. Add hazelnuts and salt, and stir for 1 minute to coat.
• Pour mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a nonstick baking mat, and immediately separate nuts using 2 forks so that each stands alone on sheet. (You can also hold the pan at an angle and push each hazelnut onto sheet individually. If caramel thickens as you work, return to heat briefly.) Let cool. Break apart.

ROASTED PEARS WITH BROWN SUGAR AND VANILLA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Arrange the pears cut side up in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Whisk the apple juice and sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the butter. Pour the sauce over the pears. Bake until the pears are crisp-tender and beginning to brown, basting occasionally with the juices, about 35 minutes.
• Spoon the pears onto plates. Top with ice cream. Drizzle with any juices and serve.
• The pears can also be served frozen. To do so, cool the pears, then place them in the freezer until frozen solid, about 8 hours.

PEAR, HAZELNUT & CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3. Butter and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until fairly fine. Add the flour and mix briefly. Add the butter and pulse until it forms crumbs. Add the sugar and eggs and mix briefly. Peel, core and chop two of the pears. Stir the pears and chocolate lightly into the cake mixture.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Peel, core and slice the remaining pears and scatter over the top of the cake. Press down lightly and bake for 50-60 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool on wire rack. Warm the jam and brush over the top. Serve warm or cold.

ROASTED PEARS WITH HAZELNUT SYRUP AND CANDIED HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan simmer water with 1 cup sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. (Syrup may be made up to this point 2 days ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered.)
• Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly butter a shallow baking pan.
• Coarsely chop hazelnuts. Stir nuts into syrup and simmer 1 minute. With a slotted spoon transfer nuts to baking pan, arranging in one layer, and reserve syrup. Cut butter into pieces. Bake nuts in middle of oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Immediately add butter to nuts, tossing to coat and separate, and with a spatula transfer nuts to a plate to cool (nuts will crisp as they cool). (Nuts may be candied 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Reserved syrup may be kept, covered and chilled, 2 days.)
• Lightly butter a shallow ovenproof kettle or casserole dish (about 12 by 2 1/2 inches). With a sharp knife trim a very thin slice from bottom of each pear to enable pears to stand upright. Dip and roll each pear in reserved syrup to coat completely. Transfer pears as coated to kettle, standing them upright, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Add liqueur, lemon juice, and vanilla to remaining reserved syrup and pour down side of kettle or casserole.
• Roast pears, uncovered, in middle of oven until undersides are tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.
• Arrange pears on a serving platter. Spoon syrup around pears and sprinkle with candied nuts. Serve pears warm or at room temperature.

PAN-ROASTED PEARS WITH HONEY, HAZELNUTS AND STILTON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Place the nuts between 2 kitchen towels and rub to remove as much skin as possible. Coarsely chop the nuts and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium-size cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pears and cook until caramelized on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the honey to the skillet. When the honey melts, turn the pears to coat them on both sides. Cover and cook until the pears are tender but not too soft, about 5 minutes.
• Cut each pear half across into 1/4-inch-thick slices, but keep the shape intact. Place each pear half onto 1 plate and fan it forward. Place a piece of Stilton beside the pears and scatter each plate with some of the hazelnuts. Serve immediately.