- 170g/6oz plain flour
- 100g/3½oz unsalted butter
- 1 free-range egg yolk
- cold water, to mix
- 150ml/5fl oz white wine
- 200ml/7fl oz boiling water
- 50g/2oz caster sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pear, peeled, cored and halved
- 150g/5½oz goats' cheese
- 1 tsp finely chopped chives
- 1 salad onion, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- basil leaf, to garnish
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
- To make the pastry, mix the flour and butter in a food processor until the mixture starts to resemble coarse breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolk and enough water for the pastry to bind.
- Bring the pastry together and, on a floured surface, roll the dough to a ½cm/¼in thickness. Cut out two large pear shapes, then place on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
- For the pear, bring the wine, water, sugar and bay leaf to a simmer in a small saucepan. Poach the pear halves in the syrup for 10 minutes, weighed down with a small plate to submerge the pear.
- To make the filling, mix together the goats' cheese, chives and chopped salad onion, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Stuff this mixture into the cored poached pear halves and place the pears on the pastry. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Serve on a large warm plate and garnish with the basil leaf.