Twenty-something years ago, while sitting on the floor of a bookstore, this gorgeous dessert inspired me to read Georges Blanc’s cookbook, The Natural Cuisine of Georges Blanc
Halfway into the program at the Culinary Institute of America, we were required to find a job in a real-world kitchen. Soon, I was packing my bags for the tiny village of Vonnas, France, to spend a year as an apprentice with Chef Blanc. I was still burning to learn how to take a humble ingredient like a pear and make it so irresistible.
It’s as simple as this. Bathed in aromatic syrup, filled with luscious dark chocolate ganache, and set in a pool of crème anglaise, the shapely pear shows off its allure. I love the zest of real vanilla bean
By the way, it is perfectly acceptable to melt a little vanilla ice cream for a quick crème anglaise. No one will guess this dessert only took you a few minutes. Or, in my case, a very long journey.
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 whole vanilla bean pod
Juice of 1 lemon
A 1-inch unpeeled slice of ginger root
4 firm but ripe pears, peeled with the stem intact
Dark Chocolate Ganache
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate, chopped
Cheater’s Crème Anglaise
1/2 pint of your favorite brand of vanilla bean ice cream, melted to room temperature
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, skinned and chopped finely
1. In a deep, heavy saucepan large enough to fit the pears, bring the sugar and 4 cups of water to a boil over medium heat. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the syrup and toss in the whole pod. Add the lemon juice and ginger. Drop the pears into the syrup and poach at a low simmer until the pears are easily pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the pears to cool in the syrup.
2. To make the Ganache, bring the cream to a boil in another small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it is completely melted. Set aside in a cool place until ready to use. It should be the consistency of chocolate frosting (if it has cooled and hardened, warm it over barely simmering water until it is soft and spreadable).
3. Drain the pears well on paper towels. Carefully cut off the top quarter of the pears and reserve. With a small spoon or melon baller, make a large cavity in the bottom part of each pear.
4. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the ganache and fill each pear. Allow the chocolate to overflow slightly. Replace the reserved top of the pear.
5. Pour a small amount of the Crème Anglaise on the bottom of four chilled dessert bowls. Carefully place a filled pear in the center of each bowl, garnishing with the chopped pistachios. Serve immediately.
If fruit desserts are your thing, too, try my Easy Tarte Tatin.
February is the month for chocolate! Send in your favorite chocolate recipe here so I can share it with all my readers!
Photo credit: Blake Slatkin
Try these handy charts we found on the CUESA (Center for Urban Education and Sustainable Agriculture) 
, is perfect for bringing along with you anywhere. It is safe to leave in the car and in hot weather. The new top is easy to sip and won’t cause spillage.
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