Pear and almond mud cakes | Gourmet Traveller

Ingredients

• 175 gm dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
• 75 gm unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
• 50 ml brandy
• 75 gm caster sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 25 gm self-raising flour
• 20 gm Dutch-process cocoa
• 70 gm glacé pears, finely chopped
• 50 gm roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
• To serve: crème fraîche
• Glazed pears
• 250 gm raw caster sugar
• 250 ml dessert wine
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 3 corella pears, halved, cores removed with a melon baller
• 100 ml pouring cream