Grilled Pear and Mascarpone Tart

This actually started as an attempt at making mascarpone cheese (which was super easy and infinitely less expensive than the store-bought variety). There are few things in the world that cannot be made better with cheese. Alright, that may be a bit of an exaggeration but I'm okay with that. Cheese is awesome.

While I could sit with a bowl of mascarpone and a spoon and be a happy woman, I think that that would be a considerably boring post. I didn't want to make another risotto, so I wasn't going to use the mascarpone to thicken it. I wasn't in the mood for tiramisu. So, I went to the farmer's market in search of inspiration.

Inspiration came in the form of some beautiful red and green Anjou pears...

Pretty Poached Pears

Yay, alliteration! hahah. Apparently, poached fruit is a tradition at Ukrainian Christmas dinner (as my Momma told me at dinner that night)… though, I was ignorant of this when I decided to tackle this recipe, I was thrilled that this “test run” could be seen as great foresight and impressive culinary work. Or something. hah.

This is a recipe that I have wanted to try for so long… but I have to say that I was completely intimidated. Now that I have done it, I’m annoyed that I never took the chance sooner, as it is so EASY! And, I mean easy… it’s almost the same amount of work as the tabbouleh. So, if you tried that recipe, you’ll realize that this dessert is equally attainable and not be put off giving it a test run of your own.
Putting it into perspective…
Think of this like a Christmas sangria! You’re wondering where I got the reference… well, in this recipe, basically, you make a mulled wine, then cook your fruit. Any of us can handle that. You could also make two pots of the wine, one for your pears and one for you. Now, that’s my idea of good cooking.

As much as I am a foodie, I am a realist too… somewhat. I’ve fallen into the trap of buying really good vanilla, but I know that the likelihood of my stocking allspice berries or cardamon pods is slim. Just use what you have, add what flavours you enjoy… you can’t go wrong.