It's a much more rustic presentation than I originally envisioned. But its elegance is undeniable nonetheless in the unusual marriage of the classic with the unexpected. The lemon zest and the celery are baked along with the pears and then cooked again, seperately, in the baking liquid until they are candied. This mixture is then poured over the pears for a very artistic presentation. It is amazing how the celery retains a crunchy texture (despite all the cooking). It seems to take on all the lemony flavors too. Giving this unusual dessert a very appealing sweet and luscious meets tart and crunchy allure.

Recipe (serves eight)

• 2 lemons
• 4 c cool water
• 1 c moscato dessert wine
• 3⁄4 c sugar
• 1⁄4 c apricot jam
• 4 firm bosc pears
• 6 large celery ribs, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces

Method

Place the oven rack in the centre position of the oven. Pre-heat to 375 degrees F.

Using a vegetable peeler remove zest from lemons in thin long, wide bands. Avoid as much of the white pith as possible.

In a small saucepan cover the strips of zest with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, drain the strips and rinse them in cool water. Refill the pan and repeat once more. Pat the zest dry.

Squeeze 1/3 cup lemon juice into a bowl, whisk in wine, sugar, and jam until sugar is dissolved.

Halve the pears lengthwise and, using a melon-baller, core the pears.

Spread out celery slices across the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour in wine mixture. Place pears cut side up. Spread zest over and around them. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes, basting once or twice.

Transfer the pears to a shallow serving bowl, pour liquid, zest, and celery into a medium-sized saucepan and reduce the liquid until syrupy, about 15 min.
Pour the celery mixture over the pears and allow to completely cool. Serve at room temperature.

Lidia Bastianch- Chef, Restaurateur, Author and Host of a truly inspirational cooking show on PBS.