Nothing compares to the crisp, juicy sweetness of biting into a fresh pear! With this collection of pear recipes, you're sure to find a new favourite for this late season fruit.

Pears, please

Pears are a wonderfully versatile ingredient. Ripe pears, high in vitamin C, potassium and fibre, are an excellent healthy snack. Bartlett and Bosc pears, two popular varieties in Canada, are ideal for baking and preserving, while aromatic Anjou pears, grown mostly in B.C., are perfect for salads and great for cooking.

When shopping for pears, look for fruit with firm flesh and a smooth skin that's free of bruises. Foodland Ontario suggests refrigerating ripe pears right away, as their flavour is best when chilled -- though if you've come straight from a pick-your-own farm, even saving enough of the sweet pear for jams or jellies can be quite the challenge!

Pear recipes: pies and tartes

Pear and Fig Pie
Pears do not have as much pectin as apples and other fruits, so you must make sure the juices are really bubbling throughout the pie, including the centre, to make sure the filling won't be too wet.

Honey Pear and Hazelnut Tart
The fat content of this elegant soft-textured fruity tart is derived mainly from the hazelnuts, so it is unsaturated and essential to a well-rounded and heart-healthy diet.

Ginger Pear Tart in Puff Pastry
Packaged puff pastry is easy to roll out for this open-face tart.

Pear and Fig Torte
This dense, moist, rich and fruity torte has a festive overlay of marzipan snowflakes. Use light-coloured Calimyrna figs for the best flavour.

Pear-Apricot Tarte
Featuring an easy pat-in crust, this rustic dessert is filled with a sumptuous blend of Bosc pears, dried apricots, yogurt and brown sugar.

Cranberry and Pear Pie with Almond Topping
A wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving table.

Pear recipes: salads and sides

Beet and Pear Salad Over Watercress
This is an upscale, simple-to-make salad that always gets raves from company. This dressing is so wonderful you'll want to double it and serve it over plain greens just for you!

Avocado Salad with Prickly Pear Sauce
Choose ripe red prickly pears that give slightly when pressed. Their juice lends a pretty red colour, a fruity flavour and some body to the salad sauce.

Cheese Plate with Walnut and Pear Salad
This lovely seasonal salad, which makes use of Beaujolais Nouveau in the vinaigrette, is an elegant side to a plate of cheese chosen specifically to match the youthful wine.

Mashed Rutabaga with Ginger and Pear
Although rutabaga and apple are often mashed together, pears make an excellent alternative, especially when they are jazzed up with a little fresh gingerroot.

Potted Cheese Hors d'Oeuvres with Cranberry-Pear Relish
Cranberries and pear give just the right fruity accent to cheese flavoured with port, a holiday favourite.

Pear recipes: breakfast recipes

Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Toasts
These delicious toasts are wonderful for parties. With crisp pear, walnuts and a delectable blue cheese spread, you can't go wrong!

Healthy Birchermüesli
Birchermüesli and its many derivatives are regular breakfast and dessert features at most Swiss tables and around the world.

Apple and Pear Granola Crisp
Crisp Oats, nuts, apples and pears make a very healthy combination, especially when sweetening is kept to a minimum.

Pear recipes: smoothies

Yogurt Pear Smoothie
Blend your own thirst-quenching smoothies at home, perfect for this time of the year!

Buttermilk Or Keffir Pear Smoothie
This pear smoothie is delicious. Buttermilk is low-fat (generally 1%) and nutritious, and so is keffir, a Russian-style fermented milk product. 

Pear recipes: cakes and bars

Swiss Spice Cakes
This is an easy-to-make Swiss-style version of lebkuchen, which are spiced cookies made in many different forms throughout the German-speaking world.

Pear and Hazelnut Energy Bars
Dried pears give a sweet and fruity flavour to these satisfying, soft and chewy bars.  

Pear recipes: poached pears

Rosemary Poached Pears with Almonds
Choose pears that are ripe but not mushy. These pears are lovely with a crunchy, not-too-sweet wafer or cookie.

Poached Pears with Honey Cider Sauce and Quark
Quark is a tangy, low-fat, fresh cheese, but you can use low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta if you like. Dark-hued buckwheat honey adds a touch of molasses flavour, but you can substitute any other type of honey.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Poached Pears in Gamay Syrup
This sophisticated dessert is the perfect way to end any dinner party.

Pear recipes: dessert recipes

Pear Beignets
Beignets are French doughnuts and are a popular treat among French-speaking North Americans.

Pear Dumplings with Caramel-Rum Sauce
Perfect for easy entertaining, the sauce for this old-fashioned fall dessert is made in the baking. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Caramelized Pear-Cranberry Strudel
Easy and stylish, this not-too-sweet dessert can be served warm or at room temperature. Offer guests their choice of vanilla ice cream or a slice of blue cheese as a garnish.

Candied Pear or Apple Slices
Try this easy recipe for a sweet candied fruit snack!