European pearsΓÇöfragile when ripe but sturdy while greenΓÇöare the ideal growersΓÇÖ fruit, since the pears must ripen off the tree. On the tree, the fruit turns mealy. Pears are available year-round, but their natural peak season is August through October. Sometimes you will find ripe pears at the market. A pear is ripe when it smells like a pear and gives to gentle pressure applied at the stem end. Because some pears will rot before they ripen, it is wise to select the ripest pears available. Examine pears carefully for bruises. Superficial scrapes and blemishes are not important, but avoid pears with dark or soft spots or any shriveling. For the most part (Anjou is an exception), yellow pears deepen from green to yellow as they ripen, but red pears are red before they are ripe. Bartlett, Comice, Concorde, and Seckel will ripen to melting softness, but serve Anjou, Bosc, and Red ClappΓÇÖs Favorite, and cook Winter Nellis, while slightly crisp.
You can ripen pears at room temperature, then refrigerate them for a day or two before serving. Or you can refrigerate the fruits until a week before you want to serve them, then ripen at room temperature in a paper bag. When refrigerating pears, perforated plastic bags are crucial, because when sealed airtight, the fruit darkens at the center. Turn and check the pears frequently wherever they are to watch for deterioration.
There are many fewer varieties of pears available than apples, but the pears we have differ in character, which keeps pear season interesting.
Anjou: Oval with melting white flesh, Anjou is blander than most. It is the most abundant winter pear, good for eating and cooking and keeps for up to 7 months.
Bartlett: The sweet, juicy flesh of this golden bell-shaped pear is equally delicious eaten out of hand, cooked, canned, and dried; it keeps for up to 8 weeks. (Bartlett is the old English pear, WilliamsΓÇÖ Bon Chretien, source of the elegant eau de vie Poire William.)
Bosc: Tapered, russeted Bosc has all the pear virtuesΓÇötender, aromatic, juicy, and richΓÇöis lovely for eating, cooking, and drying, and keeps for up to 7 months.
Comice: Rounded in shape, sweet, rich Comice is the queen of dessert pears and keeps for up to 7 months.
Concorde: This yellow-skinned, Bosc-shaped, European winter eating pear has Comice parentage; it keeps for up to 4 months.
PackhamΓÇÖs Triumph: Said to be AustraliaΓÇÖs favorite eating pear, it is a Bartlett type and keeps for 3 to 4 months.
Red ClappΓÇÖs Favorite: Large and elongated, this is a crimson dessert pear with sweet full flavor, but it only keeps for up to 2 weeks.
Seckel: Russeted, round Seckel is just 2 inches long but is juicy, spicy, tender, and aromaticΓÇöexcellent for eating and incomparable for pickling and canningΓÇöbut it only keeps for up to 8 weeks.
Winter Nellis: Affectionately called Nellies, this pear is fat and russeted, not gorgeous, but perhaps the best pear for cooking, although some enjoy it on its own. It keeps up for to 4 months.
Duchess, Forelle, Kieffer, and Moonglow are also excellent pears for canning.
To serve pears raw, leave the skins on. Eat out of hand or core as for apples. After cutting the pear in half, you can scoop out the core with a teaspoon and serve the halves if you treat the cut sides for browning. Raw pears and raw apples are virtually interchangeable in recipes, the main difference being the obvious one of texture—pears are soft, and apples are crisp. Pears have a particular affinity for cheese, nuts, and chocolate. Pears are delicious poached, sautéed, grilled, and baked. Slightly underripe pears are best for cooking, since they will hold their shape. When baking or poaching them whole, choose pears of uniform size with stems attached, then shave a thin slice from the bottom so they all stand upright. Warm pears bring out the zing in sweet spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, mace, and cloves. Whether raw or cooked, pears have the best flavor when cool—neither hot nor cold. European pears are superb for canning and drying, but they do not freeze well.
Asian pears appear to be a cross between apple and European pear, but as round, juicy, and crisp as they are, they are still true pears. They are in season July through October, peaking in September. Only one or two varieties are usually seen, but Asian markets offer a more interesting selection. These pears are generally shipped ripe. There are essentially two colors. Most of the greenish type ripen to yellow green; russet pears deepen to rich golden brown. The fruits are good keepers. The Asian pear is milder in flavor than either an apple or a pear. They are best eaten raw and unpeeled. They are especially handsome served in whole crosswise slicesΓÇöthe seeds form a star. Dip in acidulated water. These neither can nor freeze well.
