A patina is something like an ancient soufflé. I am including the original recipe from Marcus Apicius so you will have an idea what his original recipes looked like:

A DISH OF PEARS IS MADE THIS WAY: STEW THE PEARS, CLEAN OUT THE CENTER, CRUSH THEM WITH PEPPER, CUMIN, HONEY, RAISIN WINE, BROTH AND A LITTLE OIL; MIX WITH EGGS, MAKE A PIE OF THIS, SPRINKLE WITH PEPPER AND SERVE.

My recipe is close to the original. Except of course, no cumin will touch my precious taste buds. So I exchanged the cumin for ground nutmeg. Some researchers believe “pie” means custard.

2 ripe pears

¼ cup of sweet wine

5 Tbsp passum (recipe here)

2 ½  Tbsp honey

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

¼ cup water

½ Tbsp melted butter or light olive oil

Pinch of pepper

Pinch of salt

1/8 of a Tsp nutmeg (or if you are brave, cumin according to the original recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a bowl mix pepper and nutmeg to passum and set aside.

Peel and chop pears. Place ¼ cup sweet wine and ¼ cup water in a small pot and simmer the pears until soft (about 20 minutes.) If the liquid runs out before pears are soft, add a couple of Tbsp of the passum mixture into the pot.

When pears are softened, mash them up.

Add honey to eggs and using a beater, beat until eggs are thoroughly incorporated. Slowly add the passum and melted butter and mix. Add the pears.

Pour mixture into an oven-safe 6” round container. Place in a square oven dish and fill with hot water up to the middle.

Cook for 45 minutes, or until the patina is solid. Chill and serve. For a prettier presentation, you can use a cookie cutter before plating, as I did in the photo. This lovely dessert is sweet, silky smooth, and satisfying even by modern standards.