Chocolate Pavlova with poached pear

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 120°C (gas: level 1, fan oven: 100°C). In a bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Meanwhile, beat in the sugar. Then slowly add the cocoa powder until firm and glossy peaks form. Line the bottom of the Gourmet-Profitopfs pot with a circle of baking paper and pour the beaten egg whites on top. With the back of the spoon, smooth it out so that the bottom of the pot is covered.
2. Bake in the oven for about 1¾ hours and then leave to cool in a slightly open oven.
3. In the meantime, the pears can be poached. To do this, gently simmer the wine, sugar, spices and thyme in a pan over a medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
4. Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact. Carefully place the pears in the red wine syrup and cover completely with syrup. Simmer over a medium heat for 25 - 30 minutes until the pears are soft and cooked.
5. When the meringue has cooled completely, the cream can be prepared. Simply mix the double cream with the vanilla and icing sugar and spoon it into the centre of the meringue.
6. Once the pears are soft, remove them from the Gourmet-Profitopf pot and leave to cool on a plate. Increase the heat of the pot, remove the cinnamon stick and the thyme and reduce the liquid in the Gourmet-Profitopf pot to a thick sauce for about 5-8 minutes.
7. In the meantime, quarter the pears lengthwise, place on top of the cream and pour a spoonful of thickened red wine syrup on top. Garnish with grated chocolate. Serve the remaining syrup in a small jug.

Picture & Recipe:  © 2020 Le Creuset