Poach the pears in the water, 1 pound of sugar, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, peels, cloves and sesame oil until tender but firm. Cool and refrigerate.
Infuse the milk with the star anise, lemongrass and ginger by bringing to a boil then straining. In a large pot, whisk together 1/3 cup of sugar, vanilla, cornstarch, salt and eggs. Slowly add the hot milk to the mixture while whisking continuously. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat until the pastry cream just begins to thicken. Keep stirring. Cook for 30 seconds longer and then pour it into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap to cool. Refrigerate until cold, then fold in the whipped cream.
Quarter the pears, core and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Fill the tart shell with the cream mixture and fan out the pear slices on top. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds and refrigerate.
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Chef's Notes:
Editor's Note: To cut down on chilling time for the custard, have a large stainless steel bowl inside a larger bowl filled with ice and water at the ready when you cook the custard. The moment it is done, pour it into the inside bowl and whisk until cool. Then, put the inside bowl with custard into the refrigerator. This will save about 30 minutes chilling time.