Poached Pears in Chocolate Sauce

Miniature Forelle pears are poached in spiced syrup made of candied ginger and various other spices. Once softened, the pears are covered with chocolate sauce. 

I prepared the pears a day in advance and the chocolate sauce was made at the very last minute. It took me probably 5 minutes tops. Everyone was pleased, the cook included! The small size of this dessert makes it a perfect finish to a heavy meal. 

Flourless Chile Chocolate Cake Recipe

Please welcome Lynda from Taste Food Blog. Lynda is a Paris Cordon Bleu graduate. After her culinary journey all over Europe (France, Switzerland, Great Britain and Denmark), she came back to the US 17 years later with a Danish husband and two children.

I recently started following her blog. The photographs are stunning and I love her approach to classic French dishes, many of which I grew up eating. Today she's sharing her chile chocolate flourless cake, especially for Valentine's Day. Enjoy!

This month, I have the pleasure of guest-posting on Jackie's wonderful blog, Pham Fatale. When I discovered Pham Fatale, it immediately resonated with me. It shares a similar love for feeding friends and family, while influenced by an international family and life. Jackie's Vietnamese parents, Parisian upbringing and vegetarian, sweet-loving husband create a kaleidoscope of good eats which keep me coming back for more. And with Valentine's Day fast approaching, I can't think of a more perfect way to share a little blog (and chocolate) love with her readers than with this recipe.

Flourless chile-chocolate cake promises to add a little spice to your Valentine's Day. Laced with chipotle, cayenne and cinnamon, this dense fudgy cake has a naughty kick of smoke and heat cloaked in chocolate that's both surprising and exciting. Now that's a Valentine's cake.