Poached Pears in Custard Sauce...After the Dinner

After dinner, with the whole tribe gorged and sated, turkey bones shining white and drying on the platter, dishes washed, the horde of happy dogs replete with table scraps, we children were sent out to play again. With our rewards for the recent pressure of being astoundingly good now safely in hand, there was release from fear and retribution. Santa Claus was now 365 days away, the elves were surely too tired to notice us; Jesus was still a little bitty baby.

As only cousins and siblings can, we immediately fell into fussing. We were separated. Some of us were made to take naps. On Christmas day in the afternoon. ~excerpt...."Christmas Gift"

A most elegant dessert....worthy of a black tie affair!

Poached Pears with Custard Sauce

6 pears, slightly under ripe

Water with lemon juice

4 cups water

2 cups sugar

1 T. lemon juice

1 t. grated lemon rind

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

Custard Sauce

Peel pears, leaving stems. Drop immediately into cold water with a little lemon juice added which will prevent them from darkening. Boil 4 cups of water, sugar, 1 T. lemon juice and grated rind. Add pears, cinnamon and cloves. Cover and keep syrup at rolling boil to keep pears cooking evenly. Cook for 20-30 minutes, Carefully transfer the pears to a shallow glass baking dish and stand upright. Drizzle the remaining syrup over the pears, cool and cover. Refrigerate for several hours. At serving time, place each pear on a crystal plate or in a crystal goblet and top generously with custard sauce. and grated nutmeg.

Custard Sauce

6 T. sugar

4 egg yolks

1 t. cornstarch

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

2 t. vanilla

Nutmeg

Gradually beat sugar into yolks and continue beating for 3 minutes until mixture is a pale yellow and creamy. Beat in the cornstarch. Heat cream just until boiling. While beating the egg yolk mixture, add hot cream in a very thin stream so the yolks warm slowly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick and coats the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil or scorch. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool and cover. Refrigerate until ready to use. ~ Jackson, MS.