Edition: U.S. / Global

FOOD; With That Autumn Nip in the Air, It's Time to Turn to Pears

Published: November 12, 2000

WITH autumn in full blaze, the suitable fruit choices no longer involve peaches, nectarines, strawberries or cherries. Those demanded summer's warmth. Now is the season for pears, apples, quinces, cranberries and dried fruit.

Pears offer fabulous inspirations for desserts. Ripe pears can end a dinner in simple glory alongside some rich, tangy cheese. Or they can be poached, baked in a cobbler or folded into a rosemary-scented cake.

For pear desserts it's not easy to find unblemished fruit that's ready to eat. It's best to plan ahead and buy under ripe pears a few days in advance so they can ripen at room temperature. A pear is ripe when the top, at the stem end, yields slightly to pressure. By the time the rounded bottom has softened the fruit will be over ripe.

Pears Poached in Sherry

Total time: 30 minutes, plus cooling

6 large ripe pears

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 750 milliliter bottle of amontillado or oloroso sherry (approximately 3 cups)

1/2 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Pinch salt.

1. Peel pears. Halve and remove cores. Immerse in water to cover, mixed with half the lemon juice.

2. Bring sherry to a simmer in saucepan large enough to hold pears. Add sugar and cinnamon and simmer until sugar dissolves. Add pears and cook over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes.

3. While pears are cooking, toast almonds by heating in dry skillet several minutes, stirring. Remove from heat when golden. Toss with salt.

4. When pears are done, remove them from saucepan with slotted spoon and put in serving dish. Boil down cooking liquid until reduced to a cup and becomes syrupy. Stir in remaining lemon juice. Pour syrup over pears, scatter almonds on top and set aside until barely warm before serving.

Yield: 6 servings.

Pear and Cranberry Cobbler

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

4 cups coarsely diced peeled pears (about 6 large pears)

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup flour, plus flour for work surface

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, in small pieces

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Whipped cream.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with two teaspoons melted butter.

2. Mix brown sugar with cornstarch in large bowl. Stir in pears, cranberries, remaining melted butter and cinnamon. Spoon into baking dish.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Cut in cold butter by hand or by pulsing in food processor until crumbly. Stir in enough milk to form soft dough. Roll or pat on lightly floured board to fourth-of-an-inch thickness. Cut in eight to 10 strips nine inches long and about an inch wide. Criss-cross strips over fruit in pan. Sprinkle with sugar.

4. Bake about 40 minutes, until crust has browned and filling bubbles. Set aside until just warm and serve with whipped cream.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Pear and Rosemary Cake

Total time:1 hour 15 minutes

2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups finely diced ripe peeled pears (about 2)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

4 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 sprig fresh rosemary.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush half a tablespoon butter in six-cup loaf pan. Dust with a tablespoon of sugar.

2. Whisk flour and baking powder together and set aside. Mix pears with lemon juice and set aside in separate bowl.

3. Put eggs in bowl of electric mixer. Add remaining sugar, beat to combine, then beat at high speed about five minutes with whisk attachment if possible, until mixture is very light and thick, like softly whipped cream. Fold in flour mixture, pears, almond extract and minced rosemary. Fold in remaining melted butter.

4. Pour into pan, smooth top and put rosemary sprig on top. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until cake is browned and cake tester comes out clean. Cool briefly on rack, then unmold to finish cooling.

Yield: 8 servings.

Drawing (Victoria Roberts)