What can we say about this dessert? It is sumptuous, glorious and would be a welcome addition to any gathering, not unlike the saucy kitchenista who inspired it, Nigella Lawson. In her recipe, she refers to it as a cross between Pears Belle Hélène and Eve’s Pudding…um, Yes, please! Both are delightful in their own right, but together? Oooo-la-la. Additionally, Kyle used gluten free flour, and by caramelizing the pears in butter and brown sugar, he added a little Tart Tatin to the gene pool. The resulting dish is something out of dessert erotica. Have. Mercy.
The only red flag in the original version was the use of “tinned” (aka canned) pears. Um, no, because Ew! (Sorry, Nigella dahling. We still love you.) The syrupy canned pears were replaced by fresh Anjou pears—or D’Anjou, as they’re known in France—because of their buttery, mildly sweet flavor with just a hint of citrus that complements the rich chocolate of the cake perfectly. In a pinch, you could use Bartlett or Bosc varieties, as they are similar in flavor, or if you really want to indulge your sweet tooth fully, you could go for Seckel pears, but really, the Anjou are best for this recipe.
You’ll caramelize the pears in an oven-safe skillet, and the dough ingredients are all combined in the bowl of a food processor. Simplicity at its finest.
The dough mixture is then spread over the pears and the whole thing gets baked in that same skillet, so it will have minimal impact on your clean, organized kitchen (Woohoo!). Clean and organized—that’s our story and we’re sticking to it, just like this dessert will stick to your ribs. See what we did there? It always comes back to the food…
This dessert, or “pudding” as Nigella calls it, highlights bittersweet, deep chocolate flavors, and with the use of fresh pears it is far from cloying. Instead, it is a beautifully balanced, lightly sweet, rich and satisfying finish to any meal. That’s a huge “thumbs up” in our book.
The original serving suggestion calls for chocolate sauce (which would be amazing, obviously), but we opted for classic whipped cream. Given that whipped cream and chocolate sauce play so well together, don’t be afraid to use both. It’s dessert. Live a little. Oh, and if there is any left over, you can take another cue from Ms. Lawson and mount a midnight raid of the fridge. We won’t tell. We’ll be too busy with our own raid.
Adapted from Nigella Lawson.
- For the Caramelized Pears:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 medium D’Anjou Pears, peeled, cored and quartered
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- For the Chocolate Pudding:
- 125 grams (1 cup) gluten free All-Purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 25 grams (¼ cup) cocoa powder
- 125 grams (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- In a 9-inch cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the pears and cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the dark brown sugar and cook until the the pears have softened and the caramel is dark and bubbling, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Put the remaining ingredients in the food processor and pulse until combined.
- Spread the chocolate batter over the pears and bake the skillet in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or chocolate sauce.
Leave a Reply