The Perfect Pear

This luscious fruit brings sweet sophistication to a variety of fall dishes.

Combine all ingredients, puree in a food processor or blender and strain. Toss salad with vinaigrette to coat.

-- Jerry Edwards, Chef's Expressions

Linguine With Pears and Gorgonzola Cheese

Serves 4 as a main course

1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter

4 firm pears (about 2 pounds), peeled, cored, sliced into 1/3 -inch-thick strips

1 tablespoon (scant) chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried

1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth

4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (divided use)

1/2 cup whipping cream

3/4 pound linguine, freshly cooked

1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pears and saute until tender and beginning to brown but not soft, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, carefully transfer pears to bowl.

Add rosemary to same skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, gorgonzola cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and cream. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking occasionally, about 6 minutes.

Return pears and any accumulated juices to sauce. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Add linguine and pecans to sauce. Toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

-- Bon Appetit

Poached Pears With Raspberry Coulis

Makes 4 servings

4 small, firm yet ripe pears (Bosc or Bartlett are good choices)

1/2 lemon

2 1/2 cups fresh orange juice

2 1/2 cups water

2/3 cup sugar

3 lemon zest strips

3 orange zest strips

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 whole clove

4 peppercorns

pinch of salt

raspberry coulis (see recipe)

Peel the pears and generously rub with the lemon half to prevent discoloring. Working from the blossom end, core each pear, leaving the stem end intact. Squeeze a little juice from the lemon half into each cavity.

Select a deep saucepan with a tight-fitting lid just large enough to accommodate the pears. Combine the orange juice, water, sugar, lemon and orange zests, vanilla bean, clove, peppercorns and salt in the saucepan and place over medium-high heat.

Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When a boil is reached, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the peeled pears. Place a round of parchment (baking) paper cut to fit the diameter of the pan directly on the liquid and pears.

Cover with the lid and simmer gently until the pears are just tender when pierced with a knife, 12 to 18 minutes. The timing depends on the ripeness and size of the fruit. For even cooking, adjust the pears' positions several times during poaching. Remove from heat and let the pears cool completely in the liquid.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to a bowl and set aside. Pick out the zests, clove and peppercorns from the syrup and discard, then pick out the vanilla bean, and, using the tip of a knife, scrape its seeds back into the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and cook until thickened and syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the syrup over the pears, cover the bowl and refrigerate.

Serve the pears, slightly chilled, in a pool of raspberry coulis and drizzled with a little syrup.

Raspberry Coulis

Makes about 1 cup

3 cups raspberries

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more if needed

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a food processor, combine the raspberries and confectioners' sugar. Pulse until the berries are pureed. Pass the puree through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a small bowl, pressing on the contents of the sieve with the back of a wooden spoon to extract all the juice. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add more sugar if desired.

-- "Williams-Sonoma Dessert" (Simon & Schuster, 2002, $15.96)

Picking your pears

When choosing a Bartlett, look for fruit that is bright and fresh-looking with no bruises or external damage. As it ripens, a Bartlett's color will change from green to red or yellow.

When choosing other European varieties, check for ripeness by pressing gently near the stem. If it gives to gentle pressure, it is ready to eat. Pears that are soft in the middle may be overripe.

Store unripe pears in a warm place outside of the refrigerator in a fruit bowl or in a paper bag. Check daily for ripeness.

Store ripe pears in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

There are many varieties of Asian pears (shown above). Unlike European pears, they are ready to eat as soon as they are harvested and their crisp texture does not change after picking and storage.