CHOCOLATE AND PEAR PUDDING
(BUDINO DI CIOCCOLATO E PERE)

2 ripe but firm Bosc pears
3 tablespoons sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 2/3 cups milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 ounces (about 20) Amaretti di Saronno cookies (available in Italian and other specialty stores), crushed
4 ounces (about 12) savoiardi cookies or ladyfingers, crushed
1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
5 tablespoons finely ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Peel, halve, and core the pears. Put them in a saucepan with sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the pears are tender when pierced with a knife. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears to a plate to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Finely chop the chocolate, and put it into a bowl. Pour about 2/3 cup of the hot milk over the chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Add chocolate mixture to the saucepan, along with amaretti, savoiardi, and sugar. Whisk over low heat for 10 minutes, or until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool at room temperature.

Butter a 9-inch Bundt pan, and dust with sugar, tapping out the excess. Fill a roasting pan with 2 inches of hot water.

When the chocolate mixture is cooked, whisk in the eggs one by one, followed by the almonds, cinnamon, and diced pears. Pour the mixture into the mold. Put the mold into the roasting pan and carefully transfer to the oven.

Loosely cover the mold with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F, and bake for 10 minutes more. Tap the pan lightly; the pudding should be set but still a bit wobbly. Remove from the oven, and let cool to room temperature.

Servings: 6
Source: Rosemary and Bitter Oranges: Growing Up in a Tuscan Kitchen by Patrizia Chen