An indulgent and sophisticated pudding using the current abundance of pears and blackberries.
For 4
4 large ripe or not quite ripe pears – any variety should be good
A little softened butter to grease the baking dish
4 tbsp of Amaretto liqueur
2 tbsp golden granulated sugar
8 small Amaretti or other almond biscuits (the crunchy kind) – gently crushed with a rolling pin
25g flaked almonds browned*
A small box of ripe blackberries
225ml clotted cream
You will also need an oven-proof dish measuring approx. 20cm x 25cm x 5cm deep
Preheat the oven to 200c.
Peel the pears, then cut each one into 4 from the stem to the base and cut out the cores.
Use the butter to grease the baking dish and put the pears in it.
Spoon the Amaretto liqueur evenly over the pears and then sprinkle them with the sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 -40 minutes – they need to be meltingly tender and the cooking time will depend on how ripe the pears were to start with.
Once the pears are cooked, cover the dish and keep them warm. And, when you are ready to eat them, pile some on to 4 individual serving plates, scatter over some of the crushed amaretti biscuits and browned almonds. Finally, add a few of the blackberries and a spoonful of clotted cream.
*To brown the flaked almonds, put them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place them in the oven (preheated to 200c). They will probably take 10 minutes to become golden brown but check them after 5 minutes – nuts have a tendency to go from golden brown to burnt in no time.
