There comes a time in almost every person's life where you want to impress your dad with a dinner party - and need to end it off at a high note. This dessert will be a great end to your evening with fruit and coffee. We know you want to do something that appears ridiculously intricate while not being ridiculously complicated to execute. That's where the Espresso Mascarpone Roasted Pears come in. This delicious dessert will impress just about anyone and isn't Master Chef Difficulty level to achieve.
Ingredients for the Espresso Mascarpone Roasted Pears:
(This recipe serves 4 people comfortably)- 4 pears, any variety
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 1/4-1/3 cups sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons espresso brew, chilled
- cocoa powder, for finishing
- ground almonds, for finishing (optional)
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.
- While it's heating up, halve your pears lengthwise and core them, removing the seeds and hard inner bits.
- Place the pears cut side up in your roasting pan and sprinkle them with lemon juice and sugar before dotting them with butter.
- Pour some water into the roasting pan and bake them for 30minutes, basting them every now and then with the juices in the pan. Flip them over and roast them for another 30minutes, repeating the basting process.
- Your pears will be done when you can easily slip a knife into the thickest flesh. When they're done, allow them to cool down to room temperature.
- While they're cooling down, pour the whipping cream into a small bowl. Slice your vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the cream, stirring it to distribute the seeds evenly throughout the cream. Add the bean itself to the cream too.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the cream for at least an hour.
- Just before you are going to serve the desserts, pour the cream through a fine strainer into a chilled mixing bowl. Add in the mascarpone and espresso and beat the mixture on a medium speed until the ingredients are just combined.
- Once they have combined, increase the speed and sprinkle in the sugar while the mixer is still on. It's ready when soft peaks are starting to form.
- Top a pear half with a dollop of the cream and add one or both of the finishing ingredients. Watch and enjoy the praise you will receive for this sinful dessert.
