So I my pear tree yielded three large pears this year. After a ripening process of three weeks in the fridge and a week on the counter they finally seem to be perfect. At least that's what I figured out from reading lots of info on line about the perfect pear.
The pear and I have a love hate relationship. After many years of enjoying nice hard pears my stomach screamed for me to stop. I find that sadly I can only tolerate my favorite fruit if it is cooked. Now a simple stewed pear would probably be o.k. I must do something spectacular. I will make Julia Child's Poached Pears with Custard in a Tart Shell with apricot caramel glaze.
The Way To Cook
Mike paid fifty dollars to buy me Julia Child's "The Way To Cook". I always feel happy to pull it out and search for something wonderful to make.
I studied the recipe. Composed my shopping list and took inventory in my kitchen. Hmmm.. not too many ingredients. Nothing hard to find. I already had lot's of things I needed. This will be easy. Right? Ha!
So I measured the water, the wine and the sugar and vanilla in my pan. I zested the lemons in perfect thin strips. Simmered and swirled until the sugar dissolved. Tastes and smells so yummy!
Peeled my beloved pears leaving the stems intact. They look so pretty. Into the pan they go to roll and poach. I'm getting nervous. Julia says if the heat is too high they will burst. If the heat is too low they will not poach. I google.. What temp is just below simmer? I gather that it's somewhere below 212 degrees.
Well yes, I know that boiling is 212 and simmer is less than boiling but what is less than simmer? I decide that 180 might be o.k. Now where is that thermometer I just used last week to make yogurt?
Poached pears done and cooling. They look good. phew....
Now for the pie shell. I bought a pre made frozen one. Yes I did. It's thawed. I've done some aluminum foil origami to make a perfect strip to fold around the shell to form it into a nice tart shell to hold my pears.
Oh wait. I have to make custard. Get out the mixer, the bowl, the eggs, the sour cream. Get the vanilla back down from the top shelf. Oh dear, I should have left time for the eggs to be room temp. Beat it all together with some poaching liquid. Having laundry to do in between is a good thing. Switching loads is a good use of time while I impatiently wait for things to cool and warm.
Into the shell go the pears. I carefully pour the custard around them. The oven is pre heated. Into the oven it all goes. I set the timer. Before I head back down to fold some laundry I glance at the recipe.
Oh no! It says "pre BAKED tart shell! My shell is raw! I look in the oven and briefly consider just baking it like that.
No. I can't do it. I turn off the oven and take it out. Oh yeah! That's why those premade shells come two to a package. I have another one in the freezer! I turn the oven back on. I now have to thaw my crust again. sigh.... I hope my pears and custard will be o.k. I spoon them out of the mushy dough. I pour the custard out. I scrape as much as I can off the raw dough that is just turning into a mess all folded down over itself and my lovely aluminum foil origami strip. Into the disposer and the trash. More waiting and thawing and laundry. New foil origami. I will pre bake my shell.
Into the pre baked shell go the pears and the custard. It's not as tidy as the first one. sigh......
While that's baking I now have to strain some apricot jam and boil it down with some more poaching liquid. I'm nervous again. I must stir and watch. The glaze cannot burn. Is it done? Is it burnt? Is it falling off the spoon just right? Sticky and thick is what the recipe says. Hint - don't try to taste while cooking this. Hot sticky syrup burns the tongue. I now know this.
Out of the oven to cool. It looks very nice! I can't wait to taste it.
This is my dinner.
At 8 PM. It tasted spectacular!
