Recipe by Katie Marshall
Photo courtesy of Simon Smith

This is a great autumnal recipe for brunch or dessert! Perfectly poached pear, and the satisfaction of a homemade nut butter.

Serves 4

Instructions:

1. Combine the wine, water, caster sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan (big enough for the four pear halves). Set over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, then add the pear halves so they are submerged in the liquid. Cover with a disc of baking parchment (and weigh down slightly with a smaller pan lid which will sit on the liquid surface, just above the pears). Simmer gently for 15 minutes, then leave to cool in their liquid.
2. Pour 3½ fl. oz. of the poaching liquor into a small saucepan and return to a medium heat. Boil to reduce until you have just a third of the liquid remaining.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.
4. Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for 7–8 minutes until golden. Set 1 tbsp. of the nuts aside to be chopped, then transfer the rest straight into the small bowl of a food processor and blend until it has formed a paste (scraping down the sides intermittently to get any nuts that are escaping the blades). Add a good pinch of flaky sea salt and the cinnamon, and mix briefly to combine.
5. Toast the sourdough then spread with the hazelnut spread. Slice the pear and fan across each toast slice, drizzling with a little of the reduced syrup and finish with a scattering of the chopped hazelnuts.