Pear tartlets with salted-caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Put water, wine and sugar in a large saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, then add pear halves and cover with a piece of baking paper. Simmer for 20 minutes or until pears are tender. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove pears from cooking liquid and drain on paper towel. To fan pears, arrange, core-side down, on a chopping board. Starting from just below stem, make 5-6 lengthways cuts into each, leaving stem end intact. Using your fingers, gently fan pear open.

Lay pastry sheets on a work surface. Put 3 fanned pear halves onto each sheet, spacing well apart. Using a small knife and leaving a 1.5cm border, cut around each pear. Being careful not to cut all the way through pastry, trace around pear, snug to outline. Shape pastry scraps into leaves. Arrange pear tartlets and leaves on prepared trays, 2cm apart, and brush exposed pastry border with beaten egg.

Cook for 15 minutes or until pastry has risen and is golden brown. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make salted-caramel sauce, heat a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add butter and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until butter melts, sugar dissolves and mixture turns dark golden and foamy. Add cream (being careful as mixture might spit) and cook, stirring occasionally with a whisk, for 4-5 minutes or until sauce is smooth, thick and deep golden. Add salt and set aside to cool for 5 minutes to allow sauce to thicken slightly.

Put pear tartlets and pastry leaves on serving plates with scoops of ice-cream. Drizzle with a little of the salted-caramel sauce. Dust tartlets with icing sugar and serve with remaining salted-caramel sauce on the side.

Tip: You can store the poached pears immersed in their cooking liquid in the fridge for up to 1 week, if you like.