pears & syrup:
80 g coffee, strong
35 g sugar
1 pear, peeled, cut into 8 slices
panna cotta:
225 g heavy cream
50 g milk
25 g sugar
1/2 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
1 g agar powder (or less then half of the amount the manufacturer recommends for 250 ml liquid)
Mix coffee and sugar, bring to the boil. Reduce heat, add the pears and poach until tender. Lift the pears out with a slotted spoon, let drain and place on the bottom of 2 ramekins. Bring the coffee to the boil again and cook until thickened (you should get about 2 tb of syrup). Pour over the pears and refrigerate.
For the panna cotta, heat heavy cream, milk, sugar, vanilla seeds and the vanilla pod. Let slightly simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add agar and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once the mixture is a bit more then lukewarm (about 45 deg C), pour through a fine sieve over the pears and syrup. Refrigerate until set, then invert onto serving plates.