When you're invited to a dinner party, do you sometimes wonder what to bring the host or hostess? A homemade treat is always a welcome and thoughtful gift, so why not try making these chocolate dipped pears that you can give as a special thank-you gift.
To make these pears even more special, consider gift-wrapping them. Once you've made your pears, you can place them on an inexpensive plate and then wrap the plate with cellophane paper. Tie the paper in a bundle at the top, attach a gift tag and you have the makings of a terrific present. You can also place the pear in a waxed paper-lined box (you can find regular cardboard boxes at your local bakery) and tie a simple ribbon around the box. Finally, you can take the minimalist approach and simply wrap the pear in a square piece of cellophane and cinch at the top with a ribbon.
No matter how you choose to embellish your chocolate dipped pears, your host or hostess will certainly appreciate your generosity.
Chocolate Dipped Pears
Makes 6 Pears
Select pears that are ripe, but still firm.
6 large, firm green pears with stems
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts, such as cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, or pecans
1 14-ounce package chocolate caramels
3 tablespoons water
3/4 cup (about 5 ounces) semisweet chocolate pieces, chopped into small pieces
3 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Wash and dry the pears, but leave the stems intact. Place the pears on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the chopped nuts in a shallow dish; set aside.
Unwrap the caramels. In a heavy, medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the caramels and water just until the caramels melt.
Holding onto the stem of the pear, carefully dip each pear into the hot caramel mixture, spooning caramel evenly over the bottom half of the pear (do not dip the entire pear). Allow any excess caramel to drip off. Briefly set the bottom of the partially coated pear in the nuts. Place each pear on the prepared baking sheet; let stand about 30 minutes or until the caramel is firm. Repeat with the remaining pears, caramel, and nuts.
In a small saucepan over low heat, stir the semisweet chocolate pieces and 2 teaspoons of butter until the chocolate is melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the stem end of the pears allowing any excess chocolate to drip down the sides of the pears, but not covering all of the peel of the pears. Place the pears on the prepared baking sheet; let stand about 30 minutes or until the chocolate is set.
In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together the white chocolate chips and 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter over low heat until melted. Drizzle the white chocolate mixture over each pear, but do not completely cover the semisweet chocolate. Let the pears stand about 1 hour or until the chocolate is completely set. Chill, if desired, in a covered container for up to 2 days. To serve, cut the pears into quarters.
*Note: To make decorating the pears easier, place the melted chocolate in resealable plastic sandwich bags. Snip off one corner of each bag and use the bag to drizzle the chocolate from the stem ends onto pears.
