They bring an irresistible flavor and compelling texture to many desserts and breakfasts.
When I was a k i d, I l oved both kinds of pears — the ones that came in cans and the fresh ones that grew on trees. I’m not entirely certain I realized they were the same fruit. Sort of.
Now that I am older, I still have a secret, shameful fondness for the canned stuff. But what really thrills me are the fresh fruit in all their varieties: Bartlett, Anjou, Bosc, Starkrimson, Comice and more.
This time of year, it’s pearadise.
Sweet and succulent, pears are generally not going to be part of a main course. They’re not an entree kind of fruit. But they bring an irresistible flavor and compelling texture to many desserts and breakfasts.
So of course, when I made an assortment of pear-related dishes, I began with a salad.
Pears are a natural ingredient for salads. Softer than apples, but just as sweet, they provide a delicious counterpoint to the acidity of a dressing, along with a textural contrast to the crisp lettuce.
But best of all is the way pears go with cheese. The embarrassingly easy recipe I made uses Stilton, which is the king of cheeses. Unfortunately, as befits a king, it is also one of the more expensive cheeses.
If you don’t want to pay the big bucks for the Stilton, you can achieve very nearly the same flavor combination by using another blue cheese (blue cheese goes with pear like caramel goes with vanilla). Try a Roquefort or a gorgonzola and you won’t be disappointed.
For that matter, you can just use the cheap blue-cheese crumbles. Your mouth will love you for it.
The most gorgeous and elegant way to prepare pears has to be to poach them in port for a dessert that will not be soon forgotten.
I’m not kidding about that. I h a d a p e a r t h a t h a d b e e n poached in port six years ago, and I still think about it today.
The appeal of this sophisticated dessert is not just the color, which is a deep and satisfying shade of ruby.
The proces s of making i t , which is very nearly as simple as the pear salad, also imbues the pear with a hearty flavor, slightly sweet, that is heightened by the use of a few aromatics: orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon and clove.
Prepared like this, the pear is great on its own. But if you want to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream — purely for the sake of contrast, you understand — no one will complain.
Because the port-poached pear was so attractive, I decided to make another good-looking dessert, Pear Upside-Down Cake.
This dish builds on a foundation of pears and caramel, another perfect combination. The pears absorb the caramel on the bottom of the cake pan — which of course becomes the top of the cake — with the cake batter above (which is to say below) that.
But this is no typical cake batter. It’s lighter than most, with whipped egg whites folded into it, but is also grounded with just a hint of the flavor of corn from a few tablespoons of cornmeal.
Prepared like this, the cake is great on its own. But if you want to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream (or caramel gelato) — purely for the sake of contrast, you understand — no one will complain.
If you want to try making a baked dessert with pears, but find the idea of an entire cake too daunting, then you can try a cobbler.
With a cobbler, the baked part is only on top, which makes it easier to prepare. And the top part of a Drop-Biscuit Pear and Dried Cherry Cobbler is so fool- proof that even a first-time baker is assured of a successful result.
The other secret to this recipe is its use of dried cherries. Dried cherries are like raisins, only a hundred times better because they’re cherries. They create tiny little explosions of flavor in your mouth. But even so, they do not overpower the relatively subtle taste of the pears. The two flavors complement; they do not compete.
And they go beautifully with the drop-biscuit topping. It’s like jam with the buttery biscuits, only better.
Prepared like this, the cobbler is great on its own. But if you want to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream — well, you know.
1. To make sherry vinaigrette, combine in a jar olive oil, sherry vinegar or wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and shake vigorously. Use as needed. Store in refrigerator.
2. Tear the Romaine lettuce into pieces and put in a bowl. Add the pears, cheese and walnuts, and dress with the vinaigrette.
Recipe from The New York Times peels, lemon peel, cinnamon, clove and 2 cups water in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
2. Cut 1/4 inch from pear bottoms to make a flat surface. Peel pears and nestle them in the bottom of pan containing wine mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, until a knife slides into pears with ease, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool in pan. The pears will continue to take on color as they cool in the liquid.
3. To serve, transfer pears, cutside down, to 4 plates and drizzle some of the sauce from the pan over pears. Serve with ice cream if desired.
Adapted from “The New York Times International Cook Book,” by Craig Claiborne
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter cake pan; line bottom with a parchment-paper round.
2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small pan over mediumlow heat and stir in brown sugar until well combined. Pour into prepared cake pan and spread to coat the bottom.
3. Peel, halve and core the pears. Cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices, and arrange over the caramel in a circular patter, overlapping as needed.
4. Mix granulated sugar, remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down the side of the bowl with a spatula. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
5. Using clean, dry beaters (or a whisk), beat egg whites on low speed in a medium bowl until frothy. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until whites form soft peaks. Fold about 1/4 of the whites into cake batter. Add in remaining whites, gently folding just to blend. Pour batter over pears in pan; smooth the top.
6. Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few small, moist crumbs attached, about 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan to release cake. Note: This can be done up to 1 day ahead at this point. Store airtight at room temperature.
7. Invert cake onto a plate; remove parchment paper. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream or caramel gelato, if desired.
Adapted from Bon Appétit
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss pears, cherries, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of the flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and cloves in a large bowl. Transfer to a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
2. Whisk remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Rub in butter with your fingers until a coarse meal forms. Gradually mix in 1/3 cup hot water until a soft, wet dough forms (a few lumps are OK). Drop clumps of dough over filling; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
3. Bake until filling is bubbling and top is golden brown and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool. Serve with ice cream.
Recipe from Bon Appétit