Since I've written about places to find dessert two weeks in a row, I thought a few recipes to try at home would be a nice change. My favorite dessert to prepare at home is a vanilla custard with poached pears and a simple wine reduction. The recipe is great for cooking with a buddy, as you will need either extra hands or great timing.The recipe works well with the usual green pears available in the supermarket, but is best with less-common red pears. Choose pears that are firm yet yielding to the touch.

Custard is easy to make, requiring little but strong wrists and a good whisk-or an electric mixer. You will need one thick-bottomed saucepan and a metal mixing bowl.

First, separate your eggs. I like to do this using my hands: Crack the egg on the side of the mixing bowl, empty the egg into your hand and allow the whites to slip through your fingers, holding on to the yolk. Discard the white and place the yolk in the mixing bowl. Repeat.

Put the milk on low heat to boil (stirring frequently as the milk solids will burn to the bottom of the pan if not carefully monitored and are nearly impossible to get off) while you thoroughly mix the yolks and sugar until the mixture forms the ribbon, about two to three minutes by electric mixer and at least seven minutes by whisk. It will be a pale yellow and literally form a ribbon when spooned. Mix in the flour; the custard should be somewhat doughy and hard to stir. Make sure all the flour is mixed in. Dribble in the boiling milk (a third hand is helpful here) while mixing; too much boiling milk at one time will cook the eggs.

When the milk is properly mixed in, the mixture will be pale yellow and about the consistency of eggnog. Transfer the whole lot back to the saucepan and bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly. Do not stop whisking; if you do, the custard will become lumpy and burn. When it becomes thicker than pudding, remove it from the heat and stir constantly, adding the vanilla. Pour into some sort of serving dish, or into individual dishes, depending on your intentions. Two to three tablespoons of custard is an appropriate serving as the custard is quite rich.

The pears should then be poached, preferably in a sweet red wine, dessert wine, dry sherry or port. It should be a wine you like, as you will be reducing it later and the flavor will intensify. A medium-sized shallow pan is useful here. Halve the pears and remove the stem and seeds. A basic triangle cut is easiest here; however it is not particularly attractive. Try to core the pears using a spoon or melon-baller. Place each pear flesh-side down into the pan and cover with a proportionate amount of wine, covering at least an inch of the pear. Add water until the pears are covered completely in liquid. Bring to a simmer (medium on Brandeis' electric stoves) and watch. The pears should soften in about 20 minutes (depending on the pears).

Remove the pears to cool and turn up the heat on the wine-water mixture. Boil the wine reduction until it is a thin syrup, literally needing to be scraped with a spatula or spoon from the pan. Watch the last few minutes of this process carefully as it can burn at this stage. Taste the resulting goo; it should have a bit of a zing to it. When serving, dollop the custard onto the serving dish and top with the pears. Drizzle a thin line of the reduction over the pears to taste and serve. The dessert should take about an hour to prepare the first time, less for the second go-round. Coffee or hot tea is a good accompaniment. Seasonal variations on the fruit are a good idea: Raspberries or strawberries are great in season.

For the beginner, there is the Rice Krispie treat, a simple dessert requiring nothing but a large bowl, spatula or spoon, box of Rice (or Cocoa) Krispies, butter and a bag of marshmallows. Line a pan or flat surface with waxed paper or butter the interior of the pan. Set the pan aside. Melt the marshmallows in the bowl with half a stick of butter or margarine, on high in the microwave for about five minutes, stirring half-way through. If there is still shape to the marshmallows after five minutes, simply keep nuking until completely melted. Stir with the spatula, and add half the box of Rice Krispies. Butter your hands and start mixing. Add the rest of the Rice Krispies and mix until thoroughly coated. Pack into the prepared pan or ball on the flat surface. Allow to cool, and eat. Add candy for a bit of extra crunch; M&Ms or Heath bars work well.

Custard Ingredients

5 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup flour
2 cups boiling milk
1 tsp vanilla
Yield: 2 1/2 cups of
delicious custard