Pear, pecan and caramel puddings

1.Place sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean and seeds, star anise and 1 litre water in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer, add pears and cook until tender (25-30 minutes), then set aside.

2.Meanwhile, stir sugar and 60ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves (3 minutes), bring to the boil and cook without stirring until caramel (6-8 minutes). Add diced butter (be careful, hot caramel will spit), whisk to combine, then add cream and a pinch of sea salt, whisk and set aside.

3.Preheat oven to 180C. Combine pecans, flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine eggs, brown sugar, milk and vanilla, then gradually add melted butter, stirring until incorporated. Add pecan mixture to egg mixture in 2 batches, stirring to combine between each addition.

4.Divide batter among six 1½-cup buttered ramekins and pour caramel on top. Drain pears (discard liquid), then gently push a pear into the centre of each ramekin (the batter should reach just below the rim). Dust with raw caster sugar and bake until puddings have a golden crust and an inserted skewer withdraws clean (30 minutes). Serve puddings warm dusted with icing sugar with ginger ice-cream to the side.