Baked Pears with Dark Chocolate Hazelnut filling

I was going through my recipes trying to plan a dinner I will be cooking in Early November and I came across this one. I got the idea to make this recipe watching Julia Child; she was wrapping apples in filo pastry making mini apple tarts. Then I thought it would be great if used pears and chocolate. This was the first time I ever used filo pastry and Michael asked me not to do it again since it took awhile to get it off the ceiling, Well anyway it was a big hit at the dinner party we had several years ago.

Maybe I will make it for Thanksgiving this year.

Baked Pears with Dark Chocolate Hazelnut filling

Ingredients
4 pears, ripe and pealed
1 stick of unsalted butter at room temp
1 bar of Green & Blacks 70% cocoa (3.5 oz)
1/3 raw sugar
1/2 cup of hazelnuts
zest of one orange
1/2 teaspoon real Vanilla extract
1 box of filo pastry, you will need 16 to 20 sheets

More butter for basting, 1 stick

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

After pealing the pears turn them over and core out the bottom of each pear about 2 inches deep and 1 to 1 1/2 wide. Note leave the stem on each of the pears.

Place the hazelnuts into the food processor and chop until fine. Next add the stick of butter, raw sugar, vanilla and zest. Pulse to combined. Next break up chocolate bar into small pieces and add them to the processor and pulse to combine. Next take the mixture and divide between the pears. Make small balls and place them into the cored out bottom of each pear. I placed the pears into cups with the core facing up. Over fill each pear, keep them in the glasses until the next step.

Melt the other stick of butter.

On a cold, wax papered, floured work surface start working with the filo pastry. Note: have a moist dish towel handy to cover the filo pastry you are not using. It will keep it moist while you work with the others, trust me you want to do this.
Take your first sheet out and brush it with the melted butter, add the next sheet on top and repeat up to four layers. Now butter the upper layer and fold it onto its self. You now have 8 layers, cut this into a 10 inch square. Place a pear in the center bottom down and folding one corner up to the stem at a time, then folding the side up , then the next corner and so on brushing it with butter as you go. It is sort of like a pin wheel as you go around the pear. The ends should stay up but you may use twine to tie the corners around the stem of the pear to keep it up. I used the strips i cut off the sheet to make the square. Once all covered brush with more butter and place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Now repeat until all pears are covered.

Place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Serve with a nice vanilla bean ice cream or a fresh Orange Cream dusted with Cocoa powder.

Enjoy cooking