Pear

A rustic tart with a delicious hazelnut crust, sweet filling and buttery topping.

A sophisticated and easy-to-make salad.

Store-bought crusts make these scrumptious a snap to prepare.

Honey and mint are the special ingredients in this lovely lamb dish.

Among the pear varieties, we prefer the silky, juicy flesh and slightly winy flavor of Comice pears for eating, and they are exceptionally good in this crisp. (For poaching and in tarts, good Bosc pears have the right texture and body.)

Pear wedges are tossed with brown butter (easily made by melting butter, then keeping it on the heat until golden and nutty) for an especially comforting treat.

When selecting persimmons for the following recipe, be sure to get the acorn-shaped Hachiya variety and not the flatter, wider type called Fuyu. Look for very ripe specimens, which should feel quite soft and have glossy, translucent skin.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Use on your favorite toast for breakfast or spoon over vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Serve this quick treat with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

A lovely appetizer or lunch dish.

The cookie-like dough is great for the novice pie maker, as any imperfections can easily be patched. Be sure to use ripe, juicy pears. Offer this with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Assemble the strudels a day ahead, and bake them up to six hours before serving.