Spring Fruit Tart

The crust on this tart was particularly tasty, and a new bottle of vanilla used in the custard really made it stand out. I used a lot less custard than you would normally use (only about a half inch) but I like it this way, it emphasizes the fruit, and it is not too gooey sticky sweet. Using fresh, ripe fruit helped; I'm looking at you, Market Street Grill.

Pear Poached in Wine Sauce

Pick out some of the best looking pears you can find, favoring ripe pears with still a hint of firmness.  We used Bosc pears, ideal for their slightly spicy, luscious flavor and firm texture.  For each pear, add about

1 cup water

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 fresh lemon juice and zest

to a saucepot, and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar.  Remove from heat.  Slice off the bottom of each pear-so they stand upright-and scoop out the seeds and pit from the bottom.  Peal the pears, drawing fancy patterns in the pear peals if you so choose, and add them to the sauce.  Each entire pear must be fully submerged, so add more water and wine if necessary.  Fold several paper towels in half, and place over the pears (drawing liquid over the pear) and then weigh the pears down in the sauce with a plate.

Return the sauce to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the pears are soft throughout.  Put the entire pot-pears, sauce, paper towels, and lid-in the refrigerator, and eat dinner.

When everything has sufficiently cooled off, remove the pears from the sauce, and re-heat at a fast boil until thickened into a syrup.  Remove from heat, and add several drops of Angostura Bitters, or failing that, a dash of vanilla  Arrange the pears, and pour the syrup over, and garnish with more lemon zest and some mint sprigs.