Photo by David Moore Roasted Pear Tiramisu

When Crudo Café added dinner service last March, they approached the extraordinarily talented pastry chef Tracy Dempsey (formerly of Cowboy Ciao) to create their signature desserts. She was already making ice creams for the cozy café, located inside the Steven Paul Salon in Old Town Scottsdale.

Dempsey immediately thought of doing a tiramisu, but she added a twist: a roasted pear and cardamom tiramisu served in a mason crock. The crock, revealing sumptuous layers of roasted pear purée, espresso-soaked ladyfingers and creamy mascarpone, holds a generous portion – the half-liter jar is enough for two or more – and adds a rustic touch to a luxurious dessert.

She starts by spreading roasted pear purée on the bottom of the jar and layering house-made ladyfingers soaked in cardamom-scented espresso. A layer of sabayon, a slow-cooked egg sauce blended with the pear purée and spiced with cardamom, sits between two ladyfinger layers. A swirl of creamy mascarpone lightened with whipped cream gets tucked in, and diced roasted pears garnish the top.

Thin, crisp pizzelles (Italian waffle cookies) with yet another hint of cardamom finish the plate. It’s a deceptive dessert. Light and creamy on the tongue, it slowly sneaks up on you and fills you up. The crock makes it seem homey, but the roasted pear and cardamom add elegance.

All desserts are $10, and all are big enough to share. And yes, Dempsey is packaging up her signature bacon brittle to go, too.