Pear and chocolate panettone recipe

1. Cut the pears into 5mm vertical slices, discarding the edges that don’t make a ‘pear shape’. Preheat the oven to gas ½, 130°C, fan 110°C; line 3 baking sheets with nonstick baking paper.
2. Put the sugar in a saucepan with 500ml water. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and add the pear slices in two batches; simmer for 5 mins. Use a slotted spoon to put on the baking sheets.
3. Bake the pear slices for 3 hrs, turning every 1 hr. Check more frequently during the last hour: they should be dehydrated but still flexible and will become tacky when ready; cool on a wire rack.
4. Cut a sheet of baking paper about 60 x 10cm, and place on a work surface. Melt the chocolate in 20 sec bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until melted. Pour onto the paper and spread to 55 x 3cm. Roll up the paper from a short end, so it touches the chocolate, then put seam-side down on a chopping board. Chill for 1 hr 30 mins.
5. Set aside 100g chocolate frosting. Use some of the rest to coat about half the panettone, leaving a larger side and the top bare. Unravel the chocolate on the baking paper; it’ll break into shards. Stick the shards onto the frosting.
6. Dot one side of the smaller pear slices with chocolate frosting and arrange on the bare side of the panettone at an angle. Repeat with the larger pear slices around the bottom edge.
7. Put the reserved frosting in a piping bag and cut a 1.5cm hole at the tip. Pipe peaks of frosting on the top of the panettone, then scatter with the nuts. Spray the pears with gold spray, and add a little to the chocolate and top. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Make ahead: Make the chocolate shards up to 2 days ahead and the pear chips up to 3 weeks ahead; store them in airtight containers.

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