The New York Times Cookbook.
Pears were in peak season, and I had just bought half a dozen from my neighborhood fruit stand. I came across a recipe for pears a la Bordelaise, which called for poaching pears in a spiced red wine syrup, then dousing the plated dessert in rum and lighting it on fire. It seemed an appropriate way to end a dinner in this trash fire of a year.
I knew about flambéed desserts, of course. I have strong memories of eating cherries jubilee at a seafood restaurant on the Jersey shore as a kid, watching my baby sister get a little tipsy at the table. Later, in my early 20s, I learned to make crepes Suzette while working at a French restaurant in New York City. I understood the magic touch that alcohol and fire can add to a dessert, but it had never occured to me to try it at home.