Ingredients

• 6 comice pears
• 125g/4½oz caster sugar
• cherry liqueur or kirsch
• 1 lemon
• zest and juice only
• 500g/1lb puff pastry
• thawed if frozen
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 125g/4½oz caster sugar
• 25g/1oz butter
• softened
• 20g/¾oz butter
• 100g/3½oz good quality dark chocolate
• 105ml/3¾fl oz milk
• 40g/1½oz caster sugar
• 1 tbsp double cream

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Begin by preparing the pears. Peel and halve them
• removing the core with a teaspoon.
• Put them in a pan with 125g/4½oz of sugar and just enough water to cover. Add the alcohol
• lemon juice and zest.
• Bring to the boil and gently simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes depending on the ripeness of the pears. Once cooked
• test with a sharp knife.
• Allow to cool in the liquid. Once cool
• remove from the liquid and allow to drain until dry.
• Make the caramel by placing 125g/4½oz of sugar into an ovenproof pan. Heat gently without stirring until it turns golden brown. Remove from the heat
• add the butter and stir in gently.
• Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface. Cut out a circle slightly larger than the ovenproof pan.
• Place the drained and dry pears cut side up in the pan
• on top of the caramel. Sprinkle over the chopped rosemary.
• Cover the pears and caramel mixture with the pastry
• tucking the overlapped edges down the side of the pan.
• Bake in the oven for fifteen to twenty minutes until the pastry is brown.
• Meanwhile
• make the chocolate sauce. Place a glass bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the bowl
• then stir in the milk.
• Add the sugar and cream
• stir until smooth
• and remove from the heat.
• Remove the tart from the oven and leave to rest for one minute before turning it out. To do this
• place a plate on top of the pan and invert so that the tart slips out
• pastry on the bottom
• pears on top.
• Serve hot with the chocolate sauce and ice cream.