While pears are one of the lowest-calorie fruits, they are also delicious and very nutritious. You might not be a huge pear fan, but you still should try using this fruit in baking. They make any dessert taste perfect. This easy puff pastry dessert is a quick and elegant treat. It is crusty and flaky on the outside and warm, soft and delicious on the inside.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 oz bitter chocolate
• 4 pears
• 2 tbsp Cognac (or brandy)
• 9 oz puff pastry
• 4 tbsp brown muscovado sugar

Preparation

1. Melt sugar in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of water. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
2. Peel pears, remove core and cut into thin slices. Drizzle with cognac or brandy.
3. With a sharp knife cut two ½-inch stripes out of the pastry. Roll out the remaining dough into a rectangle of about 17 inches (45 cm) long.
4. Visually divide the rectangle into 3 vertical pieces 6 inches (15 cm) wide.
5. Grate chocolate. Spread ½ chocolate in the middle of each piece of the dough. Cover it with the left part of the piece, sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and cover with the right part. Lightly press the open edges of the dough so that they stick together.
6. Use two ½-inch dough stripes to form borders.
7. Grease the surface of the dough with sugar syrup (Do not grease the borders!).
8. Spread pear slices on the dough. Sprinkle the pears with the syrup.
9. Preheat the oven to 380° F and bake the dessert for 25–30 minutes until golden brown.
10. Serve warm with ice cream.