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All About Pears
Take your pick from Autumn's sweet bounty.
Grandma cooks with and enjoys succulent pears of one kind or another all year-round, but she finds that the greatest selection is in the markets from August through October.
Honey-fragrant Bartlett (in bowl at far right, above) begins pear season, appearing in the middle of summer. Great for out-of-hand eating.
Firm-textured Bosc (in white bowl, top right), shows up in September. Best enjoyed out of hand when its ivory flesh is crisp and crunchy; also good when baked.
Sweet and juicy Comice (on table, far left) is considered by some the finest eating pear around, but not recommended for baking.
Petite Seckel (in basket, bottom) varieties begin to appear in September; ultrasweet but also fragrantly spicy. Their small size means they’re great for kids to enjoy out of hand.
Slightly spicy Anjou (wire basket, top) shows up in October; very common and great for out of hand eating.
Luscious Forelle (basket, middle) also arrives in October; small size is great for kids.
Buying Pears: Because pears bruise easily and tend to become mealy if left to ripen on the tree, they’re picked and shipped in an unripened state. So you should expect them to be a bit on the hard side at the market. Grandma makes a point of buying her pears a few days before she wants to use them, choosing those that are uniformly firm, without any cuts or soft spots, and with stems intact.
Ripening Pears: Once she has them in hand, here’s how Grandma ripens pears: She leaves them on the counter in a bowl or encloses them in a paper bag for about two days. They’re ready when they yield to gentle pressure at the base of their stems. Since pears ripen from the core outward, be careful not to let them soften too much, or they’ll quickly turn to mush. Ripe fresh pears will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Pear Nutrition: Pears are a nutrition powerhouse: Despite their seductive fragrance and sweet taste, one medium-size pear contains only 98 calories and less than one gram of fat, and yet offers 11 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C and a respectable 208 milligrams of potassium. If eaten with the skin intact, it will deliver nearly 5 grams of dietary fiber, 41 percent of which is pectin (it’s believed that pectin lowers serum cholesterol, which in turn may reduce the risk of heart disease.)
Prepping Pears: Pointers for preparing pears for baking or eating:
- • To make a pear stand upright for poaching, slice 1/4 inch off the bottom with a knife.
- • To remove a pear’s skin, use a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler and peel vertically from the stem to the blossom end.
- • Keep fresh pear slices from browning by brushing or tossing with a mixture of lemon juice and water.
- • When baking or poaching, core a whole pear from the bottom end, using a corer or paring knife. For a halved pear, remove the core with the small end of a melon baller.
5 Ways with Pears: Five quick-and-easy suggestions for using fresh pears in savory and sweet ways:
- • Add pear chunks to salads with toasted chopped walnuts (a la Waldorf salad).
- • Serve pears with cheese, particularly Brie, Camembert, Gorgonzola and Parmesan, for an appetizer or dessert.
- • Sprinkle a diced pear over yogurt or on cold or hot breakfast cereal.
- • Saute pear slices in butter with brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon or ground ginger; serve with roasted pork or chicken.
Grandma's Favorite Pear Recipes
