Hi Reader,

Pears give you the narrowest window of any fruit in the produce drawer.
​
An apple looks ready when it is ready. A pear gives you nothing. One day, it's hard enough to hammer nails. The next, it's buttery and exactly right. Blink, answer two emails, and it's like applesauce.
​
It gets me every time.
​
I buy pears because they're beautiful. Elegant necks. Freckled skin. They belong in a Dutch still life beside a wedge of blue cheese and a glass of wine. Then I forget about them for a few days. When I remember, I go down the row one at a time, checking each one like a man doing rounds.
​
How many are still good? Usually fewer than I bought.
​
But get a pear at exactly the right moment and nothing else compares. It's softer than an apple, more floral, impossibly elegant. Bake it, roast it, pair it with cheese, or drizzle it with honey. It holds up to all of it.
​
Honestly, I should be so versatile.

Catch Them at Their Peak

• Ripen pears on the counter, not in the refrigerator. Once the neck yields gently to pressure near the stem, they're ready. That's your sweet spot.
• Put them on a savory plate. Pears are wonderful with blue cheese, pancetta, rosemary, walnuts, and black pepper.
• Keep the spices restrained. Cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, and ginger sit well with pears, but too much buries what makes a pear a pear.
• Take advantage of frozen puff pastry. It's one of my favorite shortcuts for creating elegant tarts and turnovers that look like they came from a bakery, with very little effort.
• Roast the extras before they go soft. Honey, a sprig of rosemary, and the oven turn a ripe pear into dessert, or into the best thing on a cheese board. The season is shorter than you think.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​Cinnamon Pear Tarts With Puff Pastry​
• ​Pear & Cardamom Caramel Upside-Down Cake​
• ​Caramel Pear Tarts​
• ​Roasted Pear With Honey & Rosemary​
• ​Flatbread With Pancetta, Pear, & Blue Cheese​
• ​Pear Turnovers​

​Cinnamon Pear Tarts With Puff Pastry​

Sweet cinnamon-sugar pears are baked atop puff pastry to make these adorable pear tarts. It's an easy, impressive fall dessert.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Pear & Cardamom Caramel Upside-Down Cake​

I love the flavor balance in this cake: tangy pears, floral cardamom, rich caramel, and, underneath, a moist sponge of orange and almonds. Do try it—your friends and family will think it a triumph.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Caramel Pear Tarts​

These caramel pear tarts are like individual tart tatin, made with whole pears, caramel sauce, and puff pastry.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Roasted Pear With Honey & Rosemary​

Juicy pear, drizzled with honey and served on crusty sourdough bread with delicately seasoned feta and a sprinkle of aromatic rosemary. It’s the perfect dish for everyone permanently torn between sweet and savory—a delicious snack and a fantastic entrée.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Flatbread With Pancetta, Pear, & Blue Cheese​

This flatbread with pancetta, pear, and blue cheese is made with homemade dough, crispy pancetta cubes, caramelized onions, thinly sliced pear, blue cheese, arugula, and a balsamic drizzle. You can think of it as a very fancy pizza. We just call it dinner.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​

​Pear Turnovers​

Pear turnovers are a serve-and-grab, handheld dessert that tastes like autumn. Sweetened with dates and no sugar, all the spices take center stage.

​☞ ​Try this recipe​