Praline and chocolate pear with coffee and blackberry macaron

Preparation method

1. For the cinnamon syrup, pour the goats' milk, sugar and syrup into a pan and stir over a low-medium heat until the sugar and syrup dissolve, bring to a boil then remove from the heat.

2. Immediately add the cinnamon and baking powder, whisking vigorously. Return to the heat and bring back to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and caramel coloured.

3. Strain through a sieve then pour through a funnel into a squeezy food bottle and keep warm in a bain-marie of hot water. Alternatively, strain through a sieve into a clean pan and reheat very gently when ready to serve.

4. For the poached pears, peel the pears and put them in a pan with the wine, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and bay leaf, then pour in enough water to cover the pears.

5. Place over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the surface of the liquid with a circle of greaseproof paper cut to the fit the pan (a cartouche) and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, until the pears are just tender. Leave to cool in the poaching liquid.

6. For the chilli praline, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

7. Spread the nuts out on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Take care not to burn them.

8. Meanwhile, pour the sugar and chilli flakes into a heavy-bottomed pan. Place over a medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar has melted. Continue heating the sugar until it turns to a golden caramel. Be careful not to burn the sugar. (CAUTION: melted sugar is extremely hot.)

9. As soon as the sugar reaches a golden caramel colour remove from the heat and immediately add the nuts to the caramel. Working quickly, stir to coat then pour onto a silicone mat or a non-stick baking sheet. When cool and hardened, crush with a rolling pin or in a food processor.

10. For the macarons, preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Line two baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment.

11. Sift the icing sugar into a medium mixing bowl and stir in the ground almonds and coffee.

12. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until doubled in volume using electric beaters. Add the caster sugar and continue whisking until the mixture is stiff and glossy.

13. Gently fold in the dry ingredients and the freshly grated lemon zest. Carefully spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a fine, plain nozzle (no more than 5mm in diameter).

14. Pipe small balls of the mixture (the size of a penny) onto the baking trays, leaving room for the air to circulate around them during cooking. Bake for five minutes then leave to cool on the trays.

15. For the chocolate sauce, place five teaspoons of water in a pan with the sugar and cardamom seeds. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves then bring to a simmer for two minutes.

16. Meanwhile, place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over the pan of syrup (make sure the bowl is not touching the syrup. Alternatively, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water).

17. When the butter and chocolate have melted, add the hot syrup and gently stir together, then stir in the double cream. Strain through a sieve then pour through a funnel into a squeezy food bottle and keep warm in a bain marie of hot water. Alternatively, strain through a sieve into a clean pan and reheat very gently when ready to serve.

18. For the blackberry cream, lightly whip the cream to soft peaks then fold in the icing sugar and crushed blackberries.

19. When ready to assemble the dessert, remove the pears from their cooking liquor. Using a corer, or a small, sharp knife, carefully remove the top three-quarters of each core to form a tunnel (but don't go all the way through to the bottom of the pear). Fill each tunnel with chocolate sauce. Drizzle cinnamon syrup over the top of each pear then sprinkle with crushed praline.

20. Make a pool of chocolate sauce on each of four serving plates and sit a pear on top. Drizzle a little more cinnamon syrup over the plates.

21. Sandwich the mini coffee macarons with the blackberry cream, garnish with a few blackberries and sprinkle with crushed praline. Serve alongside the chocolate pears.

1-2 hours preparation time

1 to 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4