Ginger And Dark Chocolate Roulade With Poached Pears

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350˚F/Gas Mark 4. Line a 23x33cm (9x13in) Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Place the pears, vanilla and sugar in a pan with the water. Simmer for 15 minutes until soft with a bit of a bite. Drain and cool.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over, but not touching, a pan of barely simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar (reserving 1 tablespoon) with the egg yolks until pale and doubled in volume. Stir in the chocolate and the ginger. In a new bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and add the reserved sugar. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate and ginger mixture, place in the tin and bake for 15 minutes.

Let the roulade cool, covering with a damp tea towel to prevent cracking. To make the filling, whip the cream into soft peaks and fold in the icing sugar. Dust a sheet of baking parchment with caster sugar and turn the roulade out on to it. Peel off the baking parchment and spoon over the cream and scatter the pears. Use greaseproof paper to roll up the roulade, beginning from one short end. Dust with icing sugar and serve.