Spring Break
Fine Dining
by Kate Gardiner
Arts | 3/6/07
Posted online at 10:55 PM EST on 3/5/07
Since I've written about places to find dessert two weeks in a row, I thought a few recipes to try at home would be a nice change. My favorite dessert to prepare at home is a vanilla custard with poached pears and a simple wine reduction. The recipe is great for cooking with a buddy, as you will need either extra hands or great timing.
The recipe works well with the usual green pears available in the supermarket, but is best with less-common red pears. Choose pears that are firm yet yielding to the touch.
Custard is easy to make, requiring little but strong wrists and a good whisk-or an electric mixer. You will need one thick-bottomed saucepan and a metal mixing bowl.
First, separate your eggs. I like to do this using my hands: Crack the egg on the side of the mixing bowl, empty the egg into your hand and allow the whites to slip through your fingers, holding on to the yolk. Discard the white and place the yolk in the mixing bowl. Repeat.
Put the milk on low heat to boil (stirring frequently as the milk solids will burn to the bottom of the pan if not carefully monitored and are nearly impossible to get off) while you thoroughly mix the yolks and sugar until the mixture forms the ribbon, about two to three minutes by electric mixer and at least seven minutes by whisk. It will be a pale yellow and literally form a ribbon when spooned. Mix in the flour; the custard should be somewhat doughy and hard to stir. Make sure all the flour is mixed in. Dribble in the boiling milk (a third hand is helpful here) while mixing; too much boiling milk at one time will cook the eggs.
When the milk is properly mixed in, the mixture will be pale yellow and about the consistency of eggnog. Transfer the whole lot back to the saucepan and bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly. Do not stop whisking; if you do, the custard will become lumpy and burn. When it becomes thicker than pudding, remove it from the heat and stir constantly, adding the vanilla. Pour into some sort of serving dish, or into individual dishes, depending on your intentions. Two to three tablespoons of custard is an appropriate serving as the custard is quite rich.
The recipe works well with the usual green pears available in the supermarket, but is best with less-common red pears. Choose pears that are firm yet yielding to the touch.
Custard is easy to make, requiring little but strong wrists and a good whisk-or an electric mixer. You will need one thick-bottomed saucepan and a metal mixing bowl.
First, separate your eggs. I like to do this using my hands: Crack the egg on the side of the mixing bowl, empty the egg into your hand and allow the whites to slip through your fingers, holding on to the yolk. Discard the white and place the yolk in the mixing bowl. Repeat.
Put the milk on low heat to boil (stirring frequently as the milk solids will burn to the bottom of the pan if not carefully monitored and are nearly impossible to get off) while you thoroughly mix the yolks and sugar until the mixture forms the ribbon, about two to three minutes by electric mixer and at least seven minutes by whisk. It will be a pale yellow and literally form a ribbon when spooned. Mix in the flour; the custard should be somewhat doughy and hard to stir. Make sure all the flour is mixed in. Dribble in the boiling milk (a third hand is helpful here) while mixing; too much boiling milk at one time will cook the eggs.
When the milk is properly mixed in, the mixture will be pale yellow and about the consistency of eggnog. Transfer the whole lot back to the saucepan and bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly. Do not stop whisking; if you do, the custard will become lumpy and burn. When it becomes thicker than pudding, remove it from the heat and stir constantly, adding the vanilla. Pour into some sort of serving dish, or into individual dishes, depending on your intentions. Two to three tablespoons of custard is an appropriate serving as the custard is quite rich.
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