Pears In Chocolate Fudge Baskets

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 6 small pears (ripe)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 7 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate (broken into pieces)

Recipe

• 1 peel pears (leaving stems attached), scoop out cores from the base & cut a slice from the non-stem end of the pears so they will stand when served. brush all cut surfaces w/lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
• 2 put sugar & water in a lrg saucepan. heat gently till the sugar dissolves. add pears & the cinnamon stick w/any remaining lemon juice. if necessary, add more water so the pears are almost covered.
• 3 bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover pan & simmer pears gently for 15-20 min or til they are just tender when pierced w/a skewer.
• 4 while pears are poaching, make sauce. place cream, sugar, butter, corn syrup & milk in a heavy saucepan. heat gently till the sugar has dissolved & the butter & syrup have melted. then bring the sauce to a boil.
• 5 boil (stirring constantly) for about 5 min or till the sauce is thick. remove from heat & stir in the chocolate (a few squares at a time) till melted & set aside.
• 6 when pears are finished poaching, remove cinnamon stick, use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a dish & keep warm.
• 7 boil poaching liquid rapidly to reduce to a syrup of about 4 tablespoons then stir the syrup into the chocolate sauce.
• 8 place pears in individual bowls, pour the sauce evenly over the 6 pears & serve immediately.
• 9 note: if you prefer to do all the prep ahead & serve cold, chill pears well & dip the bottom half of ea pear in the sauce by carefully holding the stem end or by using a fork. you'll get a "true" basket effect doing this. you can also create a scalloped effect by tilting them slightly in the sauce at intervals. if you work fast & want to get more fancy, affix slivered almonds to the edges of the chocolate sauce.