Warm Pear And Caramel Brioche With Caramel Sauce — Belinda Jeffery

Ingredients

• Serves 8.
• 500g ripe, not too-soft pears
• 40g unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into small cubes
• 2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
• small handful of flaked almonds
• 90ml pure cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cognac (if you have any, pear liqueur is divine too)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• good vanilla-bean ice-cream or softly whipped cream, to serve
• Brioche
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 250g plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant dried yeast granules
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 160g unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into smallish chunks finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
• Caramel sauce
• 1 cup (250ml) pure cream
• 1 cup (220g) firmly packed soft brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (90g) golden syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract