Ginger Poached Pears with Honeyed Vanilla Custard

Name: Ginger Poached Pears with Honeyed Vanilla Custard
Ingredients: 4 semi-ripe Bosc pears; 4 12-ounce bottles of potent Ginger Beer (I used Reeds Extra Ginger Brew); 4, ¼ inch disks of peeled, raw ginger; The zest of one lemon, cut into strips that can easily be fished out of the poaching liquid; 2 cups half and half; 2 tablespoons honey; ½ vanilla bean; 3 egg yolks; ¼ cup white sugar; ¼ cup pecans, toasted; 4 high quality ginger snaps (I used DeBeukelaer Corp. Speculaas Crisps Belgian Ginger Cookies); 2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons, sweetened dried cranberries, roughly chopped