Pears are equally at home with savoury companions or with sweet ones, as good poached in a red-wine syrup and served with ice-cream as they are with red wine and some bread and freshly cut parmesan, or with blue cheese, walnuts and a sweet dessert wine.
Pears are good in salads, especially those with bitter leaves such as witlof or peppery ones such as watercress, and quartered firm pears are excellent roasted beside rich meats such as duck or pork, or grilled with pork chops
Different varieties of pear have textures ranging, when ripe, from luscious and almost melting to firm and slightly grainy to crisp and crunchy for the nashi. All pears are unusual in that they ripen from the inside out and should not be allowed to ripen on the tree as their texture becomes woolly and their core breaks down if picked ripe. They are best picked mature but still hard and ripened in a cool place over a few days.
VARIETIES
is a large pear with russet skin. When ripe, it is soft and juicy with a slightly and pleasantly grainy texture. It is good raw and also suitable for long cooking. It is available from early autumn through to early summer.
