Poached pears with berries & shortbread

SERVES 8 PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES (+ COOLING & REFRIGERATION)

1¼ cups (275g) firmly packed brown sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways 8 medium (1.8kg) beurre bosc pears, peeled

2 cups (300g) frozen blackberries 125g blueberries

TOASTED FLOUR SHORTBREAD

1²⁄3 cups (250g) plain flour

175g cold butter, chopped

⅓ cup (75g) caster sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 TOASTED FLOUR SHORTBREAD Place flour in a large frying pan over medium heat; cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until golden and nutty smelling. Cool. Process toasted flour, butter, caster sugar and rind until combined. With the motor operating, add 1 tablespoon cold water; process until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in two; flatten each portion into a disc. Enclose in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Roll each disc of dough out between lightly floured sheets of baking paper until 3mm thick. Remove the top sheet of baking paper, transfer dough on paper to oven trays.

Bake for 12 minutes. While still warm, cut into 5cm x 7cm long shards; bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle warm shortbread with white sugar; cool on trays.

2 Meanwhile, stir sugar, vanilla bean and 1.25 litres (5 cups) water in a large wide saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves; bring to the boil. Add pears; cover surface with a round of baking paper, simmer for 20 minutes or until just tender. Add berries; return to the boil. Transfer fruit to a shallow dish with a slotted spoon.

3 Bring the remaining syrup in the pan to the boil; boil for 20 minutes or until thickened and syrupy; cool.

4 Serve fruit and syrup with shortbread.

Shortbread suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.