Makes about 4 cup

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups coarsely grated good-quality dark chocolate
• 2 pounds ripe pears, peeled and chopped
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the pears in a bowl with the lemon juice to stop them from discoloring. Sprinkle the sugar over the fruit and add ¾ cup water.
2. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds, then tuck the bean in among the pears and add the seeds. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave overnight for the sugar to soak up some of the juices from
   the fruit.
3. The next day, pour the contents of the bowl into a preserving pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat and boil rapidly to reach setting point, by which time the pear pieces
   will be translucent. Skim if necessary.
4. Remove the vanilla bean.
5. While the jam is still warm, spoon it into sterilized jars in layers, interspersed with sprinkled grated chocolate.
6. The chocolate will melt on contact with the hot jam, but try to keep it speckled throughout rather than mixed in, so that the overall color of the jam remains pale.
7. Seal the jars and let the jam cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator.