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1
Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and add the sugar and pinch of salt.
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2
Beat the mixture until it is thick, with a light yellow color.
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3
Combine the milk and vanilla bean in a saucepan and bring the mixture almost, but not quite, to the boil.
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4
Remove the vanilla bean and gradually add the milk to the egg mixture, beating constantly until all the milk is fully incorporated.
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5
Pour this mixture back into a saucepan and cook over very low heat, constantly scraping the bottom with a spoon or whisk.
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6
Cook until it coats a spoon like a thick custard.
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7
Do not let the sauce boil, or it will curdle.
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8
Immediately remove the saucepan from the stove, stirring constantly.
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9
Dissolve the gelatin in a quarter cup of warm water and stir this into the warm sauce until it is thoroughly dissolved.
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10
While the custard is cooking, in a heavy pot or sugar pan, add the sugar, salt, vanilla extract and two tablespoons of water.
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11
Cook over medium-high heat without stirring, until it is richly browned but not burned.
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12
Add this caramel to the sauce.
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13
Allow the mixture to cool thoroughly.
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14
Make the whipped cream (see recipe).
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15
Fold the cream into the mixture.
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16
Drain very well the can of pears and cut them into half-inch pieces.
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17
Fold the pear pieces into the mixture.
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18
Line the bottom of a two-quart tinned charlotte mold with parchment paper.
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19
Cut and trim the ladyfingers into triangles.
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20
Arrange them tightly together in the bottom of the mold.
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21
Then arrange them on the sides of the mold by placing them parallel to each other.
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22
Fill the charlotte mold with the pear mixture to the top of the mold.
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23
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
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24
Let it rest for at least four hours in the refrigerator before unmolding.
