Minted Pears on Chocolate Shortbread

Name: Minted Pears on Chocolate Shortbread
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 1-2 teaspoons Poire William liqueur; 1-2 teaspoons caster sugar; 85 g (3 oz) cream cheese; a small strip of lemon peel; 2 sprigs of mint; 150 ml (¼ pint) water; 60 g (2 oz) caster sugar; 3 almost ripe dessert pears; 70 g (2½ oz) vanilla-flavoured caster sugar; 120 g (4 oz) butter, softened; a pinch of ground cinnamon; 15 g (2 oz) cocoa powder; 140 g (5 oz) plain flour; 6 sprigs of frosted mint leaves, to decorate

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Complete Book of Herbs

By Geraldene Holt

Published 1991

About

The crisp chocolate shortbread can be made ahead and stored in the freezer or refrigerator until needed.

Ingredients

3 almost ripe dessert pears
60 g (2 oz) caster sugar

Vegetarian
Cookies

Method

Peel, halve and core the pears. Dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil. Add the mint and lemon peel and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the halved pears and poach gently for 8-12 minutes until almost cooked.

Remove from the heat, cover the pan and leave for 10-15 minutes to complete the cooking. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears to a plate. Discard the mint and the