375&376/984 - Florentines and pears caramelised with honey

I love putting two, or even three recipes together to create a jaw-dropping dessert. This particular combination was selected as the final course for a recent dinner party with a group of people we have not known for very long at all! 

We recently holidayed at Uluru, which was a very special experience and one I would highly recommend. One of the events we attended was a dinner under the stars and we were lucky enough to be seated on the same table as two couples travelling together from America.

We immediately hit it off and the evening passed very quickly. The boys spoke to our new acquaintances more than to us and were both thrilled when I told them that our newest friends would be joining us for dinner when they passed through Melbourne. 

Dinner was a fun affair, and I was thrilled that my very favourite course was a success. Poached and caramelised pears seemed like a good idea, as the pears could be poached and cooled in advance, and the final caramelising and assembly was relatively straightforward. The florentines were not difficult to make, with a simple caramel binding the nuts and dried fruits and then a slather of chocolate painted to the underside once they were cool.

When I served them up together, as hoped, the chocolate melted and combined with the heated poaching syrup. For the sake of my waistline I will not be repeating this recipe any time soon but I do believe the memory of it will stay with me for some time. 

The dinner table