Pear Recipes

Hot curried fruit with poached pears, oranges, melon, and grapes in a warm spiced curry syrup topped with crystallized ginger. An elegant side dish for holiday entertaining.

Individual rustic fruit tarts with shortcrust pastry, apricot jam glaze, and thinly sliced apples or pears. A French-bistro dessert that bakes in 15 minutes and looks gorgeous.

Lavender-pepper pears are ripe Bartlett pears sprinkled with crumbled lavender, cracked black pepper, and lemon juice. An elegant no-cook fruit dessert.

Homemade canned fruit cocktail with fresh peaches, pears, seedless grapes, and maraschino cherries in sugar syrup. A from-scratch preserving recipe that beats store-bought.

Surprisingly, these particular pancakes taste much better with fruit than with syrup.

This sorbet, based simply on commercially canned pears, can be enhanced with the flavor of eau-de-vie de poire (pear liqueur) or, if preferred, with fresh lemon juice.

Pear-walnut quick bread swaps water for pear nectar and folds chopped pears plus toasted walnuts into a honey bread mix for a 5-ingredient loaf. Great for holiday gifting and breakfast slicing.

Pears poached in red Burgundy wine with cinnamon and lemon zest. An elegant French dessert with just 5 ingredients, served warm or cold in ruby-red syrup.

Pepper poached pears simmer in white wine with black peppercorns, ginger, cinnamon and a whisper of chili heat, then chill in a syrup reduced from the poaching liquid. An elegant, lightly spiced dessert.

Pie-pan asparagus with fresh spears blanketed in a homemade cheddar and Parmesan cheese sauce, broiled until golden and bubbly. A rich, creamy vegetable side dish ready in 25 minutes.

Mixed red greens and pear salad with a toasted hazelnut vinaigrette made with lemon juice and lemon zest. A light, elegant fall salad with radicchio, endive, and butter lettuce.

Rice pudding tart with red wine-poached pears fanned on top, finished under the broiler for a caramelized sugar crust. An elegant dessert that can be made ahead.

Spaghetti with red clam sauce: garlic browned in clarified butter, simmered into tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and clam juice, then folded with whole clams over butter-glossed spaghetti.

Baby artichokes, asparagus, and sweet peas toss with ear-shaped pasta in this vibrant spring dish. Garlic, oil-cured olives, and Parmesan bring it all together.

Stuffed cheese pizza: Chicago-style deep dish with whole wheat crust hiding mozzarella and broccoli between two layers, topped with pizza sauce at the end. Inside-out flavor.

Broccoli spears with a homemade Swiss cheese sauce made in the microwave. A quick two-serving vegetable side dish with a creamy, melty cheese topping in 30 minutes.