Apples may get all of autumn's accolades, but it's time for pears to muscle in on the action.
Understanding which pear varieties are best for which uses will help you choose wisely from the fruit you'll see at farmers markets, farm stands and grocery stores.
You can eat any pear raw, from juicy Bartletts to crisp Asian pears. But in cooking, you may want the pear to retain its shape, or you may want it to melt into a concentrated sauce. I remember pear varieties that hold their shape _ for poached pears, and for the pear tart we offer here _ with a simple mnemonic of ABC: Anjou, Bosc and Comice.
Some varieties are more grainy or gritty than others but peeling any pear will help reduce that graininess. As pears ripen on the tree, they develop stone cells, and most of these lie just under the skin. Most pears are harvested before they're fully ripe for this reason. While the skin is full of nutrients, sometimes you just want that grittiness to go away.
Like apples, cut pears will brown when exposed to air. For salads and other raw uses where appearance is important, place the pears in water acidulated with lemon juice for a quick bath to prevent browning.
These are the varieties you're likely to see this season, with a bit of information about them and their best uses.
Anjou: Firm and mild flavored, Anjous are good for cooking where you want the pear to pick up the flavors of its cooking companions. Red and green Anjous have the same flavor.
Asian: As crisp as a ripe apple, Asian pears are very mild in flavor. They're the outlier in the pear family, more apple than pear.
Bartlett: The juiciest of all the pears, a ripe Bartlett will leave your chin dripping when you eat it out of hand. Choose red or green Bartletts when you want the fruit to cook into a sauce, as we do in the vanilla-cardamom pear butter recipe here.
Bosc: Crisp and mildly sweet, Boscs are the classic choice for poached pears. They're easy to recognize because of their cinnamon-colored russeted skin. They tend to be a nice size as well.
Comice: Brightly flavored with the quintessential pear taste, Comice pears are less grainy than many other varieties.
Concorde: A favorite in Europe, the Concorde has a long neck that makes it immediately identifiable. Its distinctively vanilla flavor makes it a favorite for roasting and grilling, but it's also great out of hand.
Forelle: A pretty speckled pear that's popular in Europe, this small pear is best for snacking. Its name comes from the German word for "trout," because its colors echo the flashing brilliance of the fish. Grown in small quantities in the Pacific Northwest, Forelle tells you it's ripe when the skin under its red speckles turns from green to yellow.
French butter: Small with concentrated flavors, make sure French butter pears are fully ripe before use. Underripe fruit has a sharp, tannic flavor. Good for snacking, or in salads.
Seckel: Just as with French butter pears, make sure the little Seckel pears are fully ripe before eating to avoid a tannic hit. Best out of hand, or in salads.
Robin Mather is a longtime food journalist and the author of "The Feast Nearby," a collection of essays and recipes from a year of eating locally on a budget. Follow her as she writes her third book at thefeastofthedove.com.
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