Ingredients
For the pears:
50ml Water
250g caster Sugar
2 Conference Pears – peeled, quartered and cored then halved to make 8 slices
1 Sprig of Rosemary
Salted Butter
2 tbs Lemon Marmalade with Ginger
For the risotto:
Olive Oil
350g Arborio Rice
450ml Boiling Water
50g Salted Butter
1 Tsp of Rosemary – finely chopped
300ml Semi Skimmed Milk
190g Caster Sugar
175g Good Quality White Chocolate – broken into pieces (reserve a little for grating)
Method
- For the pears: Put the water and caster sugar in saucepan on a high heat and bring to the boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
- Take the saucepan off the heat, add the pears and rosemary and set aside to cool then strain the pears and discard the rosemary. Retain the syrup to use later.
- Put a knob of butter into a hot frying pan and add the pears turning constantly for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the strained syrup and stirring gently all the time, cook on a medium heat until caramelised (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from the heat, add the marmalade and stir to distribute.
- Put a splash of olive oil into a large saucepan and bring to a medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 30 seconds stirring constantly then add 200ml of the boiling water, the butter and chopped rosemary stirring throughout.
- Continue cooking until all the water has evaporated, repeat with the remaining water. Add half of the milk and cook until evaporated, repeat with the remaining milk.
- Turn down the heat to low so the rice is barely simmering, add the caster sugar and the white chocolate and stir to dissolve. If necessary, add a splash of milk to create a dropping consistency. Rest the rice for 2-3 minutes before serving.
- To serve, spoon the caramelised pear and syrup on top of the risotto and sprinkle with grated chocolate.