Scotland, this is my all time favorite dessert, I just love pears!

Individual Maple Pear Cobblers
Courtesy of: Rebecca Rather, Chef, Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe
6 servings

3 pounds pears, peeled, cored, quartered
2/3 cup + 9 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
9 tablespoons whipping cream
melted butter
sugar to taste
nutmeg to taste

For the filling, combine the pears, 2/3 cup syrup, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a bowl and mix well. Divide evenly among 6 custard cups or souffldishes. Place a pat of butter on top of each one. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until heated through.

For the topping, place the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a food processor. Add 6 tablespoons butter and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the cream, 9 tablespoons syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla and process until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto the hot filling. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. Bake for 14 minutes or until firm to the touch and golden brown.

Here's a nice salad if you want to get away from the dessert theme:

Spinach Salad with Roasted Pears

Peel and slice 4 firm pears. oss with 2 Tablespoons sugar and 1 Tablespoon melted butter. Place in an open baking dish and roast in 400* oven for 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Tear 6 cups washed and dried Spinach into a bowl and toss with 4 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving plate, and evenly distribute roasted pears. Garnish with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and sliced hard boiled egg. Top with a light grating of Parmesan cheese.

Here's another one, this is my favorite of the two, but the pears are still raw and I don't use blue cheese, I sub feta or gruyere or whatever I have.

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with Spiced Candied Pecans and Raspberry Vinaigrette

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 ounces fresh spring mix salad blend
Raspberry Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
2 ripe pears, sliced
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup Candied Pecans (recipe follows)
Preparation:

In a large bowl, toss together the spring mix and the Raspberry Vinaigrette. Dress the top of the salad with the sliced pear, blue cheese and candied pecans. Serve at once.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup canola oil
Preparation:

Blend the vinegar and the jam in a covered blender for 10 to 15 seconds, then add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator if not using right away.

Spiced Candied Pecans

Ingredients:
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cups pecan halves
cooking spray
Preparation:

Mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, pepper and cayenne together in bowl.

Melt the butter in small skillet over medium heat and add the sugar mixture and pecans. Stir constantly, until the sugar has melted and nuts are coated.

Cool on a piece of aluminum foil lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Pears go well with pork, if you like meat and fruit together. Plug your ears, Ann T!!

Pork Chops with Pear and Ginger Sauce
Prep 20 minutes. Total time: 40 minutes
Four 4-ounce boneless pork chops, trimmed, 1/2 inch thick
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons canola oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup- reduced sodium chicken broth
1 firm, ripe pear (such as Bosx or Anjou), peeled, cored and cut lengthwise into eighths
One 1 1/2 inch long piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin julienne strips (1/4 cup)
6 scallions, trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch lengths
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water

Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until browned and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Add vinegar and sugar to the pan, stir to dissolve the sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until the syrup turns dark amber, 10 to 20 seconds. Pour in wine. Stand back, as the caramel may sputter. Bring to a simmer, stirring. Add broth, pears and ginger. Bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, turning the pears occasionally for 5 minutes. Add scallions and cook until the pears are tender, about two minutes more. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring, until lightly thickened. Reduce heat to low and return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan. Stir to coat with juices. Serve immediately.

Finally, breakfast!

Maple Nut and Pear Scones with Maple Pear Butter
For the maple pear butter:

1 large very ripe Bartlett pear, peeled, cored and mashed
1/4 C. soft butter (no substitutions)
1 1/2 T. pure maple syrup

For the scones:

3 C. flour
1/3 C. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3/4 C. butter, cut into pieces
3/4 C. buttermilk
1 t. pure maple extract
1 C. peeled and diced Bartlett pears (about 1 1/2 medium pears)
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 T. sugar (for topping)

To make maple pear butter, simmer mashed pear in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. (Pear will begin to stick to pan at this point.) Let cool slightly and stir in butter and maple syrup. Let stand at room temperature to thicken. (Butter can be prepared ahead, if desired, and stored in the refrigerator.)

To prepare scones, preheat oven to 400° F.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until butter is the size of peas (do not overblend). Stir in buttermilk, maple extract, pears and pecans. Turn mixture onto a lightly floured board and knead several times until dough is smooth.

Press into a 10-inch circle and cut into 10 wedges with a sharp knife. Place wedges 1-inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

That ought to use most of them, or at least get you started. I love pears and I think they are seriously "under utilized". And now I can't get that cobbler out of my mind...

Annie

Try one....you may find they are indeed good for eating out of hand.
They also work very well in any bread or cake calling for apples.
Linda C

OK, Annie, now I need to ask for more pears. Thanks!

I make a pear custard tart that we think is rather yummy :-)

Line a tart pan with shortcrust pastry. Smear a couple of heaped tablespoon of ginger marmalade over the base of the pastry. Arrange pear slices over the marmalade (I do a fan arrangement so it looks nice). Pour over the top a custard made of three eggs beaten with 1 1/2 cups of milk, cream or half and half, and a tablespoon of sugar. Bake in a 350F oven until the custard is set.

I just copied this today off Cook's site:

Pear Crisp
9/2007

The test kitchen prefers a crisp made with Bartlett pears, but Bosc pears can also be used. The pears should be ripe but firm, which means the flesh at the base of the stem should give slightly when gently pressed with a finger. Bartlett pears will turn from green to greenish-yellow when ripe. Although almost any unsalted nut may be used in the topping, we prefer almonds or pecans. Serve the crisp with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6
3/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts (3 ounces), see note above
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (2 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Table salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
3 pounds ripe but firm pears (6-7 medium), see note above

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Process nuts, flour, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in food processor until nuts are finely chopped, about nine 1-second pulses. Drizzle butter over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles crumbly wet sand, about five 1-second pulses, pausing halfway through to scrape down sides and bottom of workbowl. Set aside while preparing fruit.

2. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and pinch of salt together in large bowl. Peel pears, then halve and core each (see illustrations below). Cut each half into 4 wedges and then cut in half crosswise (pieces should be about 1 1/2 inches). Gently toss pears with sugar mixture and transfer to 8-inch-square baking dish.

3. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks. Bake until fruit is bubbling around edges and topping is deep golden brown, 27 to 32 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes, and serve.

STEP BY STEP: Preparing Pears

1. Use melon baller to cut around central core of halved, peeled pear with circular motion; remove core.

2. Draw melon baller from central core to top of pear, removing interior stem. Remove blossom end.

3. Quarter each half lengthwise and then cut each piece in half crosswise for eight pieces.

Tonight I made Annie's Pork with Pear and Ginger Sauce. It was a big hit. I also made a pear upside down cake (an apple recipe that I subbed pears into). Also a hit, but begged for vanilla ice cream that we didn't have. Three pears down, a dozen to go. These pears have a great texture, but not as much flavor as I'd like.

Thanks everyone!

Scotland, I'm glad you liked that pork recipe. I love pears, and I love ginger and well, how could that possibly miss? LOL

Now I want that pear/maple cobbler, though....

Annie