Chocolate Stuffed Poached Pear Tarts

POACHED PEARS

1. Prepare the pears following this recipe for red wine poached pears.
2. Once pears are poached, let them cool to room temperature in the liquid.
3. At this point, you can remove the pears from the poaching liquid or keep them in the liquid and store overnight for up to a day in the fridge (optional).
4. Re-heat and reduce the poaching liquid (leaving aside 2 - 3 tbsp for the chocolate, if using) and reduce the liquid until you have a syrupy consistency. Leave it at room temperature until you're ready to serve the pears.

FRUIT & NUT CHOCOLATE FILLING

1. Chop the prunes into small pieces.
2. Place the chocolate, prunes and poaching wine liquid in a small microwaveable bowl.
3. Heat the chocolate for about 30 - 45 seconds at a time in a microwave oven, stirring in-between to melt the chocolate until nice and smooth.
4. Roughly chop the almond slivers (you want to have nice chunks of nuts in the mix).
5. Add the nuts to the chocolate and mix well.
6. Let it cool down so that it's easier to handle.

ALMOND PASTE/FRANGIPANE

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until you have a smooth, thick paste, that is still soft enough to pipe easily, but thick enough to hold its shape (should not spread out like batter).
2. If it's too thick, add a little more melted butter. If too thin, add a little more flour.
3. Transfer the frangipane into a piping bag with a round tip, or a piping bag with a snipped end when you're ready to use it.

ASSEMBLY

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C .
2. Prepare the tart bases - place the 4 pastry circles on parchment paper. Using a four inch circle cutter, carefully cut out a circle from the middle of the remaining 4 pastry circles. You will be using only the outer rings.
3. Brush the pastry circles on parchment paper with egg wash, especially the edges. Place the cut pastry rings on top of the bases. Gently press down to make sure the pastry rings stick to the bases.
4. Prepare the poached pears - with a melon baller or a corer, remove the cores of the pears. This is easier to do from the bottom of the pears as shown in the picture in the post.
5. Fill the inside with a generous amount of the fruit and nut chocolate filling.
6. Prepare the tarts - place the chocolate mix filled pears in the middle of each pastry circle.
7. Carefully pipe frangipane filling around the base of the pear, avoiding the pastry ring on top.
8. Brush the tops of the puff pastry edges with egg wash.
9. Transfer the pears to the oven for about 20 - 30 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown, and the frangipane is baked through (a toothpick inserted will come out clean).
10. Remove from the oven and brush each pear with reduced wine syrup.
11. Serve on its own while still warm, OR with mascarpone cream OR creme fraiche OR a scoop of ice cream, with more wine syrup on the side to pour over the pear tarts. You can dust some icing sugar on top of the tarts as well. Enjoy!