Chik's Crib

08 April 2019

Finland Funland! Part 2 (14-day)

Travel April 08, 2019 0

We spent most of our next couple of days travelling from Helsinki, first catching the next domestic flight to Ivalo, and then moving northwards across the border by coach to Kirkenes, Norway.

The Kirkenes Snow Hotel crafts their houses annually from ice, a pretty elaborate affair. The main entrance is a sitting area and bar shaped from ice, and so is the flight of stairs leading to the bedrooms. Each room is sparsely decorated, with rugs over the ice bed, but the walls are carved, from Frozen's Elsa to political figures. I was too busy poking around to take much photography, but I did snap a quick shot of their more traditional accommodations.

Snowhotel Kirkenes runs the nearby King Crab Safari. We were bundled up in our full winter gear, and then started layering the safari's thick overalls, ski mask and helmet, something that I've come to learnt is on par for the course every time outdoor activities are called for in Finland. It's a 30 minutes sled ride on the back of a snowmobile across the frozen fjord, and we tagged along the crabbers as they reeled in their cages, separate the crabs from one another and killed them. I couldn't feel my face the minute the snowmobile went at full blast, but later back in the restaurant, as we tucked into the steamed king crabs afterwards, the frozen journey suddenly all seemed worth it.

While at the Snow Hotel, we also met ... Gabba the Hut. Heehee.

Afterwards, it’s another day’s journey to Saariselka, where we put up roots at the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort for one night. This accommodation was the selling point of the trip for me, and oh boy, it did not disappoint.

The start of the stay in wintertime began with choosing our own sled, to tug our luggage through the snow.

The village contains neat little rows of log cabins, and the interior was just the poshest log cabin I'd ever been in. Mine (clearly the best of the lots) contains rustic wooden furniture, a granite fireplace, a chandelier made from reindeer antlers, a private sauna, and best of all, a glass-ceiling extension with a bed under the stars, where you can enjoy all the convenience of modern heating while sleeping under the stars (and to keep a look-out for any potential Northern Lights!) There are 6 beds in a cabin, though the tour nicely kept it to two to a room, as I'm sure everybody wanted to sleep under the stars.

I was keen to view the northern lights, but I conked out right after a hot shower. It was the best night's rest I remembered! Other members of the tour, clearly less sleep-deprived than me, had a whale of a time making snow from boiling water (courtesy of the sauna just a step away from the front door!), and even though they couldn't see the northern lights with their naked eyes, a couple did manage to photograph a green hue in the sky, and all from the comfort of their beds.

*************************************

Over our trip, we tucked into the local daily breakfast of a generous amount of smoked ocean trout, croissants and rye bread with munavoi (a spread made with butter and hard boiled egg). There's Karelian pastries and fresh cottage cheese, and once even meesjuusto, a local brown butter that I regretfully didn't try. Being so close to the salmon migration, smoked salmon is easy to come across and we managed to have smoked salmon or ocean trout almost everyday. I could get used to the typical Nordic hotel breakfast!

A trip to the Husky Dog Safari was our next attraction. Huskies are a mix between wolves and hunting dogs, but contrary to my imagination, they weren't as large as I thought they would be to pull on sleds all day.

We started our tour by playing with the cheeky husky puppies. My favourite pup was the playful one with heterochromia irises! They love winter accessories and will make opportunistic grabs for your winter hats or gloves. One in particular was enamoured with Miss XS’s scarf and started nipping at it, and it soon became a game involving all three pups until the trainer pulled them away. Luckily, much like me, they're easily distractable and the strings tied around the trainer's waist soon caught their attention, and they started playing tug of war with that instead.

All your dangling winter accessories are now fair game

In the teepee, the trainer got a fire going quickly, and as we were chilling by the side of the fire, he showed us his collection of Northern Light photography taken from just outside his house annually. Instant jealousy. According to him, he had the best luck after 9pm, and in the months from September to October, and afterwards in February to March.

A quick drink of hot beverage and it’s our turn at the sleds! These are pulled by adult huskies, who can be trained to go up to 80km a day.

I don't know if everybody knows this except me, but doing physical exertion in winter-appropriate clothing is incredibly hard. You're packing on a couple of extra kilo of clothes, and the chill still nips at the cheeks and nose. Which makes what the huskies do very, very impressive.

They had just came back from one circuit, and were definitely winded from the first circuit. Because they were quite poor dears really, and as we sped through the snow trail in the woods, I got off the sled intermittently at some uphill points and started pushing the sled along instead. Still, the pace that they kept to was no joke, and after every few minutes of exertion, I promptly hopped back onto the sled. (My stamina did not impress the huskies.)

Restroom: no points for guessing which gender

In the afternoon, we had a bit of downtime after checking in to Saariselkä Ski and Sport Resort. Some people went for the sauna, or to the spa, or for the toboggan trail. Me, I took the opportunity to change into PJs, lounge around the hotel room and eat cup noodles with Miss XS. #priorities

The main reason why we were here in the resort was for the snowmobile activity, where we went on a trail designed to see the Aurora. It was hard to get out of the comfort of the warm room and PJs, but we knew it was a good sign when after we got onto our snowmobile, we could already see a faint aurora grew and ebbed on our west side by the resort grounds. Score!

A brief instruction on how to handle the snowmobile, and we were off. True enough, as we sped (ok maybe more trundled than sped) through the woods upwards the mountain, the elusive aurora came and went. Some danced, others had hues of pink and white, others stretched across the horizon in many arcs and encompassed stars and galaxies between the arcs. It was beautiful.

But also, it was mostly cold. Lessons learnt from a Finland trip: when a Finn tells you it’s going to be cold, pack on the layers and take everything they offer you. I had on all my regular layers, and had thought the extra socks, overalls, ski mask and second set of gloves I was offered was overkill. But, like all the wise men on the trip with me, I kept my mouth shut and took everything they offered, and swapped out my winter boots for the one in the shop. Listen to the experts - they were right as always. It was indeed freezing and even with those additional layers, I still couldn’t feel my toes halfway on the trip.

******************************

Mooo....se?

We continued on our tour of Finland to Lapland, Finland's most northern territory. Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland (and the land of Santa!) In a postcard-worthy turn of events, it began snowing heavily as we approached Santa Village. The weather was perfect as we boarded the reindeer sleighs: large snowflakes were tumbling in every direction, accumulating over treetops and roofs.

Unlike huskies, reindeers are far more placcid. We plodded along at a leisurely pace and afterwards, warmed up at the giant campfire set up for us at the ticket office.

The Arctic Circle marks the area of the Earth where the Sun can be seen above the horizon for more than 24 hours at least once a year ("midnight sun" in summer), and where the sun can be below the horizon for more than 24 hours at least once a year ("polar night" in winter). The boundary of the Arctic Circle cuts through Santa village, and like all good and proper tourists, we spent a long time posing with the demarcation pillars, and did the rest of the kitsch tourisy things like meeting the official Santa Claus, and then sending a postcard (stamped with the official Santa Claus Village postal stamp) to remind the rest of our families that we’re doing something fun without inviting them.

We stayed for a couple of days at Hotel Santa Claus, where our total star tour manager wrangled free upgrades to our hotel rooms, and we got a deluxe room on the sixth floor, complete with a personal sauna. I didn't appreciate how good having a personal sauna is, until my stay here where I looked forward to taking in some hot steam after a cold day out and about. (Also, we may or may not have used it to humidify our hotel room, until we finally spotted the warning sign notifying that doing so could set off the fire alarm. Don’t be like us.)

******************
Our Ice Breaking Cruise was in Sweden, where to nobody’s surprise, we crossed the border and the first thing we saw was an IKEA. (I didn't realise IKEAs were colored in the Swedish flag colours!)

In regions where sea-routes are regularly frozen over, ice-breakers are utilised to rescue stranded ships, as a supply vehicle for far-flung research laboratories and to make a path through iced-over seas for regular ships. The Polar Explorer was employed by Germany as an ice-breaker in the 1970s until its retirement, where now it enjoys a cushier gig as a tourist cruise in Sweden along its coast.

As the ice-breaker powered through the frozen sea, we were taken on a tour of the interior of the ship, where we saw the machinery of the engine room and even made our way into the captain's room just as the ship moored.

But the best part of the trip is undoubtedly when the ship stopped in the middle of its path, and we donned the survival suit and floated in the in the icy waters in the path bashed out by the ice breaker. We remained fully clothed beneath the suit and didn't even get wet!

It was so cold, you can already see the just-broken path reforming ice over its surface

We also took a walk on the Bay of Bothnia, which surface had entirely frozen over and powdered with a fresh layer of snow. It was surreal.

Arriving back to Finland from Sweden marks the last day of our hols, which makes me both a little homesick and sad. On our final day, we snuck in a cheeky visit to Ranua Wildlife Park, where the zookeeper brought us around. There were boars, polar bears, and the Snowy Owl, and she coaxed some of the friendlier animals out with bits of carrots or meat. That's when I saw the shy Arctic Fox and my new personal favourite.

MAUURR CARROTS

Fazer has an outlet just around the corner, and I picked up as many chocolate bars, chocolate-covered almonds and strawberries as I could conceivably carry.

It's a winter wonderland indeed.

02 April 2019

Finland Funland! Part 1 (14-day)

Travel April 02, 2019 0

We boarded the red-eye and managed a respectable snooze, (which was pretty much my favourite activity to do on a plane), and landed at the seaside city of Helsinki in the early AM. Despite being early spring, Helsinski's still pretty chilly and even without a breeze, the deep coldness of the city penetrated through our clothing.

Senate Square as seen from Helsinki Cathedral

Finland occupies the bulk of land between Russia and the rest of the Nordic countries, and the close proximity to the Russian Empire (and later, the USSR) meant that the land often got entangled with Russian interests. Certain periods were more peaceful than others, and as someone once said somewhat derisively, Finland politics in the 1970s was the art of bowing to the East without mooning the West.

Just along the Senate Square is Helsinki Cathedral, which was built and dedicated to Tsar Nicolas I, the Grand Duke of Finland. And just in front of it is a statue of Emperor Alexander II (known in Finland as 'The Good Tsar'), which was erected in the Senate Square to commemorate his decrees on Finland's autonomy.

The local guide met up with us at 9am, where the sun is already up and bright, but the frigid temperature kept the crowd in the city square to a minimal. It's a short climb up the steps to Helsinki Cathedral, and it's kind of grand to look back out to the streets to the lively-coloured buildings surrounding the cathedral.

We posed a great deal outside Temppeliaukio Rock Church, even though I thought it rather looks like an uninspired stack of flat rocks (the highest praise I'd seen for it was found in the tourist booklet, on how "the roof looks like a flying saucer from certain angles <end exclamation point>". I was excited about exploring the interior, where I'd seen a really nice picture of on the internet, but they were the middle of a sermon and we didn't interrupt.

The Uspenski Cathedral on the other hand was quite a piece of work. It’s a traditional Orthodox Church, and another vestige of the Russian influence on this land over the last few centuries. We popped around the back where the parking lots are, which clearly is the best site to take a grand picture of the cathedral towering over the landscape.

Our walking tour also brought us to Cafe Ursula, a spacious seaside cafe on the outskirts of Kaivopuisto Park. It's a popular morning hangout with the locals, and even as the streets remained largely empty, the locals were gathered here drinking coffee whilst reading the daily papers. I had my first taste of the seasonal Laskiaispulla, a pastry filled with cardamom-flavoured sweetened cream. (Our guide's eyes lit up when he saw a tray out by the counter, and told us in no uncertain terms to get some.) It was delish! I used cardamon on everything from mulled wine to pork bellies, but somehow, I'd never thought of using it in desserts.

After our half day city tour, we explored the rest of the city by ourselves, and revisited Market Square, just a stone’s throw away from Uspenski Cathedral. It's a normally bustling street, except that we landed on Sunday when the city remained in slumber. Luckily, a couple of food stalls were open for business along the waters, and despite having just had pastries and coffee, we tucked in to excellently grilled salmon and seafood right by the Baltic Sea. We also had a reindeer burger. Reindeers are actually pretty common meat option, and is found in restaurants here much like how you can find regular deer meat in Chinese cooking, or kangaroo meat in Australia.

Helsinki is the capital of Finland, and legging it is a pretty reasonable travel plan within the city zone. Despite the cautionary tones that Finland is an expensive country to live in, I actually thought that the food was reasonably priced. We had our second cup of coffee at the elegant Cafe Kappeli, and also their delightful Salmon Cream Soup ($10.90).

We walked past Stockmann, the local departmental store, and the nearby Marimekko is always worth a visit. I was hoping to buy a cute little Moonin figurine too, but no luck! Finnish cultural icons are expensive.

I started googling dining options while on the bus from the airport to Helsinski (procrastination's a real thing in my life!), and shortlisted several restaurants. (I also quizzed the hotel receptionist, who had the misfortune to be on duty when I came a-knocking.)

Based on her recommendations and my google-fu, we grabbed dinner at Zetor on our second day, which was pretty incredible. We‘re quite a convert of the Finnish salmon cream soups (we had one almost every day while in Finland!), and the one here didn’t disappoint. It’s filled with chunks of salmon and potato, and despite the cream, was rather light and easy to drink. The second favourite dish was the deceptively simple Roasted Chicken Breast, which was so tender, they might have used a sour-vide machine (it’s now on my Christmas list!). Topped with grilled haloumi and surrounded by a variety of mashed sides, the portions were huge!). We also had a reindeer steak, which based on my impressive sample size of two, I would say reindeers taste remarkably similar to beef.

I was sorry not to be able to go to all of the receptionist's recommendations, such as The Savotta or to Kaarna (both traditional Finnish cuisine), or more alluringly, to Juttutupa, a pub that Lenin frequented in his days. I thought I could find company to commiserate on how wee little Moomin figurines can be priced so expensively, but I guess that’ll have to wait.

Our next city stop detoured us away from Finland to Tallinn, just a two-hour ferry ride away from Helsinki. It’s the capital of Estonia and a coastal city along the Baltic Sea, with a medieval-era old town that is so well-preserved, it was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We reached Alexander Nevsky Cathedral just as it began to snow, little flecks of crystals swirling from the heavens. This cathedral is another Orthodox Church, and often romantised by the locals as the most geographically-westward Russian Orthodox Church, holding up an eastward spread of Catholicism. (Just a tad on the westward side is St Mary’s Cathedral - a Catholic church.) Done in the Russian revival ecclesiastical style, it has the traditional thin windows, thick walls and capped with the onion-shaped domes, it is quite a grand spectacle, though it was disliked by many Estonians as a reminder of Russian authoritarianism.

St. Mary's Cathedral is one of those churches that seem unassuming at first sight, but it's majestic in its own way. Perched near the top of a hill, it has its rustic charm in the winter snow. As I was angling for a shot in the church's parking lot*, I thought the tree was getting in the way, but later in hindsight, thought it framed the clock rather neatly.

*I admit: I probably spent too much time hanging around churches' parking spaces taking pictures.

Continuing up the hill from St Mary's is a viewing platform overlooking the old town, and I met a decidedly un-shy seagull who was happy to preen and pose.

Tourists, amirite?

The Town Hall Square where Tallinn Town Hall is located was currently quiet in March, but it comes alive during festive occasions. In December, the old town holds a Christmas market in the square, complete with a giant Christmas tree. In July, local markets sprig up selling knick-knacks (in fact, if you go on Google Map street view, you can see one happening at that very moment), and local businesses make full use of the balmy summer weather to advance their al fresco tables out from their storefront by a few metres.

An town skating rink

St. Catherine Passage (Katariina käik) nearby is a cute little walk-way preserved from the olden days. Today, a collection of workshops (the St. Catherine's Guild) continues the traditional handicraft and opens their workshop up to passers-by.

Viru Gate comprises of two solemn stone towers that guard the Eastern entrance to the town, but from the outside now, a bevy of colorful shophouses belies the imposing towers with a cheerful exterior. Kiek In De Kok wasn't open on Mondays (which was the day we were there - darn it!), it was a wartime bastion and cannon tower that had been now converted to a museum, complete with tours.

Everywhere we go, we spot stalls selling glogg (a local version of mulled wine) and candied almonds. They're a streetside presence of Olde Hansa, and the main restaurant in the town square is serving dishes from the 15th century.

Found one dressed in the Griffindor colours!

We had a laugh when we chanced upon our tour guide filming a video in Olde Hausa and asked the storekeeper how old he was (“two hundred years old” was the answer, and “pigeon-mail” was apparently the 200-year-old equivalent to Whatsapp).

It’s just a quick day trip, and I was sorry that we couldn't stay longer! It's easy to get lost in the old charm of the old town, and forget that outside of its old town, Tallinn is a vibrant metropolitan European city, and that Estonia, the country where Skype is from, is the IT-capital of Europe. We'd barely scratched the surface of what this city has to offer.

25 February 2019

Pork Spare Ribs 1.0

Recipe February 25, 2019 0

Shopping for meat in Melbourne was a sure-fire way to put me in a happy mood. I always patronise the shop with a huge crowd, because the high turnover means that their meat doesn't stick around long enough to go bad. Here in Singapore, meat-buying is a little different, and I had a bit of a shock when I first went to the market for beef short ribs. For one, there isn't nearly much traffic. Each stall only sells a small selection of cuts, prices are not displayed, and most importantly, the store-hands don't wear gloves. They chop meat - and collect money - using their bare hands. I was taken aback, but my folks just shrugged their shoulders and said that's how it’s done in Singapore.

But ever since I discovered the joy that is Foodie Marketplace, my life has been irrevocably changed forever. No longer shall I grip about buying meat in Singapore! The place is well-lit and extremely well-stocked. Everything's under one roof: there's chicken, pork, lamb and beef, and every cut that you want, you can probably get here. Beef cheeks, (which can be elusive even in Melbourne) is aplenty here. The prices are so friendly, I've also decided that they are too nice to make a profit. Pork belly goes for $9/kg, and I bought these beautiful pork ribs at $12/kg. I don't even think I can find these cuts of meat at such prices in Melbourne!

The street-side parking can be a little competitive in Tiong Bahru, but I'd learnt that it's about only a 20-minutes walk from my workplace, and it's easy to just pop by after work to pick up a slab of meat or two. (It's a little strange how little it takes to make me happy these days, but I ain't complaining.)

Spare Ribs 1.0
Adapted from Crazy Sticky Ribs by Gordon Ramsay

INGREDIENTS
======
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
Olive oil, for the pan
1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
90g dark brown sugar
300g tomato ketchup
55g dark soy sauce
1.2 kg pork ribs

Salt, for seasoning

STEPS
========
1. Place the pork ribs in a tall roasting tray. Lightly season with salt, rubbing it into the pork.
2. Preheat the oven to 150˚C/ 130˚C fan/ gas mark 2.
3. Peel and slice the onion. Then peel and roughly crush the garlic.
4. Place a frying pan over a medium heat. Add olive oil, onion and garlic, and fry until the onion browns and softens, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Add chilli (if using), fennel seeds and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar has melted, about 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Add tomato ketchup and soy sauce. Mix well. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens up.
7. Put the ribs into a deep-sided roasting tray and pour the sauce over the ribs.
8. Cover the tray snugly with foil. Bake for 2 hours.
9. Increase the oven temperature to 180˚C/ 160˚C fan/ gas mark 4, remove the foil and cook for 20 to 45 minutes, until the ribs are thoroughly cooked. If the sauce is not nicely thickened and coating the ribs, you may reduce the sauce further. Transfer the ribs and braising liquid into a large saucepan and place it over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the water have been boiled away and the sauce is reduced into a glaze.
10. Serve warm.

18 February 2019

Potato Gratin Recipe

Recipe February 18, 2019 0

Growing up in a Chinese household, we do a number of stir-fried potatoes in our recipes, but usually as an accompaniment to a meat dish rather than as the main feature. Potatoes don't enjoy the same fevor in Chinese culture that is found in Western culture, and I thought it's time to introduce to my folks the joy of potatoes. Over the last couple of months, I thought it's time to increase my repertoire to include rustic wedges, mashed potatoes and baked potato gratins. And before someone comments on the evilness of potatoes, do you know, a diet of potato and milk gives you all the macro-nutrients you need in a healthy diet? That's right! #thingsIlearntfromtheShopaholicSeries

Amongst all my potato-theme exploration, the one recipe I've found myself returning to over and over again was the classic potato gratin. Served warm out of the oven, every bite is packed with soft, creamy cheesy potato slices. It's the ideal comfort food. For the occasional gathering, it's also easy to scale up the recipe to cook in mass quantities. What more could one ask for?

My ideal potato gratin has a creamy (but not runny!) interior, a nicely browned and textured exterior, and a generous crust-to-interior ratio. In this recipe, the proportions are ideal for an inch-deep, 8-inches wide potato gratin. When I doubled the recipe (in the first photo), I like to cap the gratin to 1-inch depth and use an additional pan instead, just so there's more of those elusive crust to go around.

Out of several recipes that I'd tried, Elisabeth Prueitt's version takes the cake. The touch of onion gives the dish a spicy kick, and despite using half-and-half, the cheese sauce was just as rich as the other full-cream recipes.

Traditional potato gratins are usually cooked in the oven from start to end, but this modern version first cooks the gratin over a stove-top fire, which streamlines the rest of the process and make the recipe fuss-free. As the cream sauce would have already cooked and thickened before gratin enters the oven, there's no fear of it boiling over the pan and spilling over in the oven. Also, depending on the type of cheese you use, the saltiness of the dish can differ heavily. This way, simmering the ingredients together first lets you do a quick taste-test to adjust the seasoning before popping it into the oven to finish cooking.

Potato Gratin Tartare Bakery
Adapted from the recipe by Liz Prueitt in Tartine All Day
Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients
=======

1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion or leek, thinly sliced crosswise

3 cloves garlic, minced
500g (About 5-6 whole potato) russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
200ml whole milk
40ml heavy cream
Large pinch of ground nutmeg (optional but traditional)
1/2 tsp sea salt
100g firm cow's milk cheese, grated (such as Gruyère, Tomme de Savoie, or Comté. I used Parmesan)

INSTRUCTIONS
=======
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leek or onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until tender but not yet browned, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the potatoes, milk, cream, garlic, nutmeg, and salt to the pot with the cooked leek or onion and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once at a boil, decrease the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. The starch in the potatoes will begin to thicken the milk and cream. Don't keep the cream over the heat for too long, or the cream will overcook and get grainy. Turn off the heat and stir in the hard cheese. Taste the liquid and season with more salt, if necessary (depending on the saltiness of the cheese). Transfer the potato mixture to the gratin dish and level the surface.

4. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cheese on top is nicely browned and bubbling. It may help to bring the potato gratin to as close to the top coil as possible, and turn off the bottom coil, which would help get the top browned at the end.

5. If baking the gratin from the refrigerator or freezer, let it come to room temperature first and then bake. Let cool slightly before serving.

Note:
If making the gratin ahead, be aware that potatoes will soak up any residual liquid (the same holds for mashed potatoes). To make ahead, use 1/2 cup more liquid than when you serve it straight out of the oven. At step 4 (before baking), the unbaked gratin can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days or tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.)

09 February 2019

Poached Pear Tart Recipe

Tarts February 09, 2019 0

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and it's the perfect occasion to add some festive redness to the house with this dessert. Poaching these pears filled the kitchen with the sweet aroma of simmering red wine, and it was nostalgic of all the times I made mulled wine. How the time have passed! Has it really been already two years?

To get this tart to look like that is a multi-step process. Drape dough over the poached pears, bake the tart until golden brown, then flip the tart out onto a serving plate (and preferably to great applause).

Here you may wonder, but Calvin, is it really such a great idea to flip the tart over at a high speed, when there's hot red wine syrup inside? If you do, your sense of self-preservation is indeed commendable, (and to which I would admit) may be more astute than mine. David cautioned that flipping over the tart requires a bit of courage and oven mitts. After flipping my tart around, I think he neglected to mention an apron and a visor as well. (Okay, maybe it's just me...) It made me pretty glad I dilly-dallied around the tart setting up photography props beforehand, which gave some extra time for the syrup to cool from their initial lava-of-Mustafa temperature.

A washed face and a change of clothing later, the cake pan was eased off to reveal the deep red pears. The tender, flakey tart was the perfect vehicle for the pears, though it demands that the tart to be eaten warm out of the oven, before the now-bottom tart turns soggy from the red wine syrup. (Although, to give it credit, though the dessert turned into an unphotogenic thing a few hours after, the tart still remained tender to the bite.) Chalk this recipe up as another winner from David!

I'm no expert in making desserts, and so I'm definitely the perfect candidate to say this: if you're not confident of flipping over a syrup-based pie tart, and if you like crisp, tender crusts to remain crisp and presentable after a few hours instead of looking soggy and a little sorry, then feel free to ignore this Tarte-Tatin presentation style. You could instead cut the poached pears into smaller pieces, divide them into individual ramekins and top each ramekin off with a tart dough and baking them. Everybody gets an individual portion, which will be easy to also spoon out of. (And substantially less likely to result in first-degree burns for the poor baker.) Which I'll be doing from now on, thank you very much.

Poached Pear Tart
Adapted from Red Wine Poached Pear Tart by David Lebovitz
6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
========
The pears
1/2 bottle (375ml) fruity red wine
125ml (1/2 cup) water
50g sugar
40g (1/8 cup) honey
2 slivers of fresh lemon
1/2 cinnamon stick
a few turns of black pepper
1kg pears (about 4 medium-sized pears)

The dough
90 g (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
150 g (5oz, or 1 slightly-rounded cup) flour

STEPS
========
The pears
1. Combine red wine, water, sugar, honey, lemon, cinnamon, and black pepper in a large pot and place over medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, peel the pears with a vegetable peeler. If making individual ramekins, to cut into quarters or eighths. If making a tarte-tatin style pie, just slice them in half lengthwise and remove the pits.

3. When the red wine mixture is nearly boiling, slowly immerse the pears into the poaching liquid. Cover the pot incompletely with the lid sitting at an angle, so the steam may escape. Simmer and poach the pears over low heat for about 15 minutes, turning the pears every so often so are equally submerged in the red wine. Cook until they are soft. The tip of a paring knife should go in all the way through easily. Do not overcook!

4. Remove the pot from the fire, and remove the pears and let cool. Discard the lemon and cinnamon stick. Let the syrup cool until tepid before then pour it over the pears. (This prevents the pears from being submerged in the hot syrup for too long, which may overcook the pears. Cover the mixture and and refrigerate the pears for 1 to 3 days.

The dough
5. Preheat the oven to 210º C

6. In a medium-sized ovenproof bowl, such as a Pyrex bowl, combine the butter, oil, water, sugar, and salt.

7. Place the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes until the butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges.

8. When done, remove the bowl from oven (and be careful, since the bowl will be hot and the mixture might sputter a bit), dump in the flour and stir it in quickly, until it comes together and forms a ball which pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

When ready to assemble
9. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC.) Distribute the pears in the ramekins, and then, drizzle the red wine syrup over the pears.

10. When the dough is cool enough to handle, smoosh a piece of dough flat with your hands and drape it over each ramekin.

11. Bake until the dough is a deep golden brown, about 10-15 minutes for ramekins, and about 20-30 minutes for one tart. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack, for 10 to 15 minutes.

12. Serve warm.

Notes:
Use a pear that is firm when ripe, such as Bosc, Conference, Winter Nellis, or Anjou.

How to poach pears from David Lebovitz

Additional leftover syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks. It can used to dribble over fresh orange slices with pomegranate seeds, to enliven a fruit salad, or even drizzled over yogurt. Leftover wine syrup can drizzled over the tart.

If not inclined to eat a pie (you monster you), and especially if you live in a hot humid environment that's not conducive to pie-making, using these poached pears in Marrion Burro's torte is wondrous.