Baked pears with vanilla and bay leaf syrup. Photo / Babiche Martens
Make the most of autumn's fruity offerings.
Beurre bosc, doyenne du comice - such elegant names for an elegant fruit. As pear varieties go, packham has perhaps a more prosaic name, and as for nashi - well, I have never really considered it a pear. In fact I used to think it was an apple-pear cross, but
now know it is its own species. I actually prefer nashi chilled - they are deliciously crisp and juicy at the same time. This week I've used them in a salad to add a cleansing freshness to the rich but oh-so-tasty pork belly.
Though we are now used to seeing pears on the shelves all year round, the colder months are when they are at their best. April through to August is when we should be feasting on these beauties.
Pears are a beautiful fruit to look at which is why they are often poached or baked in pastry so their shape is retained to be admired when brought to the table.
Poached pears is a simple dessert and they can be cooked in a variety of liquids but here the red wine gives a gorgeous colour and flavour. Prepare this dessert the day before; as the pears cool in the liquid the colour becomes richer. They can then be gently warmed before serving. Some of the liquid can also be reduced to a syrup to drizzle over before serving.
