It may be late summer (sigh), but it's also a glorious moment for the best produce of the season: every market stall is brimming with fresh delights. After corn and tomatoes, pears are leading the charge, and we're celebrating with a bounty of recipes. From vanilla-infused poached pears to a top-tier fall cocktail here are 10 ways to savour this perfect fruit.
Loaded with goat cheese, watercress and walnuts, this pear salad pulls both summer and winter duty. Whether you want a light lunch or a dinnertime side dish, this salad won’t disappoint. Get this pear and watercress salad recipe.
Photo, Roberto Caruso.Slowly slip into fall with this simple dessert. Get this roasted vanilla pear recipe.
Ryan SzulcCombine fresh pear with sharp gorgonzola cheese for a plate of sweet and salty goodness. Get this chicken salad recipe.
(Recipes by Irene Ngo; Produced by Stephanie Han Kim, Sun Ngo and Aimee Nishitoba; nPhotography by Erik Putz and Christie Vuong; Food styling by Ashley Denton; Prop styling by Madeleine Johari)Spoonably soft fruit and a velvety chocolate sauce get spiked with tequila and cayenne. Poach pears ahead of time for a quick dessert or skip the sauce and use a drinking chocolate mix instead, which is thicker than typical hot chocolate. Get this poached pear recipe.
Photo, Christie Vuong.A lighter, spicy alternative to the red-wine classic. Get this mulled sangria recipe.
Photo, Roberto Caruso.This gorgeous fall cocktail is a seasonal version of a sidecar—a century-old drink made with brandy, orange liqueur and lemon juice—with a few tweaks. In our recipe, we use a pear liqueur in place of orange and omit the added sugar for a more tart flavour. Get this cocktail recipe.
Produced by Aimee Nishitoba, Photography by Carmen Cheung, Food Styling by Matthew Kimura, Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari.Switch up your salad routine by leaving out the lettuce. Here we’ve put together a balanced salad with ripe pears and grilled zucchini, and sprinkled it with peppery arugula. Get this grilled zucchini-pear salad recipe.
Photo, Erik Putz.Sweet, spiced pear filling is rolled into empanada dough and topped with coarse sugar to finish for a great hand-held treat. Get this pear and currant empanadas recipe.
Photo, Roberto Caruso.Prepare a colourful platter of bite-sized foods to accompany a pot of rich and creamy fondue. We love using crusty breads, grapes, figs, blanched vegetables and freshly sliced apples and pears. Get this chardonnay cheese fondue recipe.
The peppery arugula, bold blue cheese and sliced pears are strong, complementary flavours. Serve with a side of creamy mustard sauce. Get this blue cheese pizza with pears and arugula recipe.
Photo, Christian Lacroix.Ginger and cinnamon add flair and flavour to a crisp that bakes quickly in a pie plate. Get our classic pear crisp recipe here.
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