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Dark Chocolate Mousse with Marsala Pears

Yields1 ServingPrep Time25 minsCook Time40 minsTotal Time1 hr 5 mins

 Instead of berries, try this ‘pear-ing’ with your chocolate mousse – pears and chocolate are a match made in heaven!
 To check if a pear is firm, test the neck of the pear by gently squeezing the flesh near the stem.
 3 firm pears
 125 ml full cream milk
 1 egg yolk
 1 tbsp sugar
 2 tbsp nutella
 240 g dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
 600 ml pouring cream, whipped
 250 ml marsala or port wine
 100 ml honey
 1 cinnamon stick
 1 vanilla pod, split length-ways
 Zest of 1 lemon
 4 bay leaves
 Handful of hazelnuts
 Crème fraiche
1

To make the chocolate mousse, place the milk and nutella in a saucepan over low medium heat and allow to come up just before boiling point. Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sugar and pinch of salt until combined and place chocolate in another separate bowl.

2

When the milk is ready, gradually whisk in? the egg mixture until all combined and return mixture back to the saucepan over low medium heat. Cook whilst continuously stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Take the custard off the heat and set aside. Stir to combine and pour over the chocolate. Without disturbing, allow the custard to melt into the chocolate for 2 minutes. Whisk the mixture until smooth (if the chocolate hasn’t fully melted, simply return the entire mixture to the stove top over low heat and gently stir and melt through).

3

Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Fold through the whipped cream, pour into individual serving jars and allow to set in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

4

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place the pears in a roasting dish, nice and snug. Add the marsala, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon zest and bay leaves. Cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes. Uncover the foil and roast for a further 20 minutes. The pears should be soft and wrinkly. When cool enough to handle, slice the pears into quarters removing the seeds and core.

5

To serve, add a dollop of crème fraiche to the mousse jar, a wedge of marsala pear, drizzle with marsala cooking syrup, sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size dessert