Ingredients

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 pears
• such as Comice or Williams
• halved and cored
• 85g/3oz walnuts
• roughly chopped
• 200g/7oz blue cheese
• such as Stilton
• Roquefort or Dorset blue vinny
• diced
• 1 celery stick
• diced and blanched
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
• 100g/3½oz dark chocolate
• minimum 70% cocoa solids
• broken into pieces

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Heat the butter and sugar in a frying pan. Place the pear halves
• cut-side down
• in the pan and fry for 2–3 minutes
• or until slightly carmelised. Remove from the pan
• turn the pears over and fill the centres with the walnuts
• cheese and celery. Sprinkle with the pepper and roast for 10 minutes.
• For the chocolate sauce
• put the golden syrup and cacao powder in a saucepan with 90–100ml/3–3½fl oz water
• and bring the mixture to the boil
• stirring regularly. Remove from the heat and stir in the dark chocolate until you have a dark silky sauce.
• Place the pears on two warmed plates
• pour over the chocolate sauce and serve immediately.