Poires au Chocolat

When Dad bought our house there were quite a few old fruit trees in the back yard. The old pear tree was crazy tall and impossible to climb. When the pears all the way at the top got over-ripe they would fall. They picked up so much momentum that they would disintegrate when the hit the ground and, I kid you not, nothing would be left but the stem! Dad finally cut the tree down and planted this one when our daughter Kathleen was born. Since it’s next to the south wall of the house, its pears are our first Fall fruit to ripen.

I can eat three of four pears a day when they ripen. The rest I peal, half and core. then I blanch then for a couple of minutes in boiling water with a teaspoon of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. They will keep in a jar in the fridge for several days. I like to serve them with chocolate pudding.

Chocolate Pudding

3.5 ounces (100 g) semi-sweet chocolate

1 ½ cup (3.5 dl) milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup (50 g) sugar

Melt the chocolate in a pot over very low heat. Mix the cornstarch in the milk and mix into the melted chocolate, then stir in the sugar. Turn the stove on high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat at once. Stir again after a few minutes. Serve hot or cold with pears halves.

Crème dessert chocolat

100 g de chocolat de ménage

3,5 dl de lai

2 cuillères à soupe de maïzena

50 g de sucre

Fondre le chocolat dans une casserole à feu très, très doux. Délayer la maïzena dans le lait et mélanger au chocolat. Ajouter le sucre et bien mélanger. Augmenter le feu et porter à ébullition en remuant continuellement. Enlever tout de suite du feu. Remuer encore une fois après quelques minutes. Servir chaud ou froid.