Chocolate Almond Stuffed Baked Pears

We are moving into the Autumn months in New Zealand when you can find an abundance of local grown of pears which are perfect for creating a new recipe with. P loves pies but personally I am not a big pastry fan but I thought this recipe might be a good compromise. P gets his pastry, even if it is lightweight, and I get to create something a bit more arty than your average fruit pie and is also very easy to make.

The freshness of fruit and decadence of the chocolate and almonds wrapped up in a blanket make a great winter combination.

Ingredients

• 4 Pears
• 12 Sheets of filo pastry
• 70g ground almonds
• 100g 70% cocoa chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 200g butter

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees centigrade.
2. Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper.
3. Peel and core pears (see photo).
4. Melt chocolate and stir in almonds and cinnamon.
5. Stuff centre of pears with chocolate nut mix and put aside.
6. Melt butter.
7. Take one sheet of filo and brush lightly with butter to each corner.
8. Place 2nd filo sheet on top of first and brush second sheet lightly with butter.
9. Place 3rd sheet of filo on top.
10. Place one stuffed pear in centre and bring sides of filo up around pear as if you were wrapping a gift. 
11. Pinch at top close to stalk leaving corner to form a flower (see photo).
12. Loosely tie the top of pastry below stork so the pastry doesn’t collapse while baking.
13. Repeat process with other pears and place on baking tray.
14. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown in colour.
15. Serve hot with creme anglaise, cream or ice cream.