Ingredients

Method

• 120 g pecan nuts
• 115 g butter, softened
• 75 g brown sugar
• 170 g wholewheat grains (you can also use the same amount of ground wholewheat flour)
• 1/2 t salt
• 100 g Gorgonzola
For the red-wine poached pears:
• 750 ml red wine
• 200 g sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 5 pears, peeled

Method

Ingredients

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Place the pecan nuts on a baking tray and toast for 5 minutes, then grind until fine in a food processor.

3. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream until pale and fluffy using a handheld mixer.

4. Grind the wholewheat grains in a flour mill, starting on a coarse setting and gradually moving to a finer setting, to create flour the same consistency as cake flour. Mix the ground pecan nuts, wholewheat flour and salt in a bowl, then gradually add to the butter mixture and mix gently until a soft dough forms.

5. Place the dough on a clean, floured surface and knead into a ball. Cover the dough with clingwrap and chill for 15 minutes.

6. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm on a clean, floured surface. Using a cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Place the biscuits on a greased baking tray and bake for 15 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Arrange the sliced red-wine poached pears on the biscuits and drizzle over the syrup. Serve with Gorgonzola, drizzled with a little syrup.

8. To make the red-wine poached pears, place the wine, sugar, cinnamon stick and star anise in a saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, then add the pears. Poach for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool in the red wine. When cool enough to handle, remove the pears from the poaching liquid and slice thinly. Return the poaching liquid to the stovetop and reduce over a high heat to form a syrup.

Cook’s note: You can substitute the pecans with 140 g walnuts.

Read more about our new-age flours.