How's this for good timing? Today's Melinda Lee radio show featured pear recipes! Here's a few: AMAZING BAKED PEARS A wonderful twist on baked apples - and what could be easier! Core pears, but do not peel them. Cut a thin slice off the bottoms of pears if necessary, so they will sit flat, without tipping over. Blend together: 2 Tablespoons, sugar with 1 Tablespoon, butter (for each 2 pears - multiply as needed). Using a funnel, fill the hollowed core of each pear with the sugar/butter mixture. Add a piece of cinnamon stick to each pear (place it in the hollowed core). In a baking dish, bake the prepared pears at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until pears are tender but still firm. ROASTED PEAR\-BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE A Sauce or a Salad Dressing I dont know what to tell you about this dressing except that the moment I read its title, I knew I was going to love it! It is obviously going to make a delightful salad dressing, but consider other possibilities: served over grilled chicken or fish, cold, poached fish, or sliced melonÂ.. MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP 1 firm but ripe Bartlett or Anjou pear \- peeled, cored, and quartered lengthwise 4 small garlic cloves \- left unpeeled 4 small fresh sage leaves \- torn 1/2 teaspoon, fresh thyme leaves (or substitute 1/4 teaspoon, dried thyme leaves) 3 tablespoons, balsamic vinegar \[divided use\] 6 tablespoons, extra\-virgin olive oil \[divided use\] Salt and freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. \[CookÂs Note: I believe that this temperature may be a bit high; if the pear pieces or the herbs seem to be browning too fast, reduce the temperature by 50 degrees.\] In a medium\-size bowl, toss the pear with the garlic, sage, thyme, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spread the mixture in a small baking dish and roast until the pears are softened and lightly browned and the garlic is softened, about 30 minutes \- or longer if oven temperature has been reduced. Allow the mixture to cool, then peel the garlic. Transfer the pear and garlic along with any caramelized pan juices and herbs to a blender or mini\-food processor and process until smooth. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar and process until combined. With the machine running, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a thin, steady stream and process until the dressing thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Recipe adapted from: Get Saucy by Grace Parisi (The Harvard Common Press) PEAR AND HAZELNUT BROWN BETTY IN THE CROCK POT (OR OVEN) Here is a delicious fall dessert using pears, layered with bread cubes (to soak up all the juices) and aromatic spices, and topped with toasted hazelnuts. This version is made in a slow-cooker (AKA: crock-pot), although it could as easily be prepared in a heavy covered pot (like a small Dutch oven) and baked in the oven at the same temperature, for the same length of time. The essential element in the cooking method is that the heat must be distributed evenly around both the bottom and the sides of the pot  rather than being applied only at the bottom of the pot, which can cause scorching. Serve this dessert hot or warm, with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream. SERVES 4-6 1/2 cup, sugar 1/2 teaspoon, ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon, ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon, ground cloves 9 thick slices, firm bread (day old is best)  cut into 1/2-inch cubes 2 pounds, Bosc pears (about 4 medium-size pears)  peeled, cored, cut into one-inch cubes 6 tablespoons, unsalted butter  cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/2 cup, hazelnuts (about 2 ounces)  toasted, skinned, coarsely chopped *Note below for technique. For Serving: sweetened whipped cream, crème fraiche or ice cream In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Place one third of the bread cubes in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker (crock pot). Add one half of the pears, then sprinkle with one half of the sugar and spice mixture, and dot with one third of the butter cubes. Layer with another one third of the bread cubes, then the remaining pears and sugar and spice mixture, then dot with one half of the remaining butter. Top with the remaining bread cubes, and dot with the remaining butter. Cover and slow-cook until the pears are tender  about 2 1/2 hours on "high"  or at 300 degrees. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Serve warm or hot with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, crème fraiche or ice cream. *Note: toasting the hazelnuts will intensify their flavor greatly. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake them, stirring once or twice in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. If the hazelnuts are not purchased skinned, to remove skin: after toasting, wrap the warm nuts in a clean kitchen towel, and allow them to stand for 15 minutes, then use the towel to rub the skins off. (Some of the skins will remain on the hazelnuts, no matter how carefully you try to rub them off!) Recipe adapted from Ready and Waiting by Rick Rodgers (Hearst Books) Copyright © 2009 Melinda Lee All Rights Reserved. PEAR PIZZA 1 sheet, frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4 ounce package) \- thawed about 6 ripe pears 1/4 cup, sliced or slivered almonds 1/4 cup, sugar 1/2 teaspoon, ground cinnamon \[optional\] 1/4 teaspoon, freshly grated nutmeg 2\-3 tablespoons, unsalted butter \- melted Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and set rack on the middle level. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed pastry into a 12 1/2\-inch square. Then, using a 12\-inch plate (or other circle) as a guide, trace around the plate with a sharp knife \- to cut a 12\-inch round of pastry. Carefully transfer the round to an ungreased pizza pan or baking sheet, at least 12 inches wide. \[Note: do not use a black pan \- the dough will darken too fast.\] With a fork, prick the dough all over, except for a border (about 3/4 inch wide) all around the edges. Freeze the uncovered pastry round on its pan for at least 10 minutes \- or up to an hour or two. When the dough is frozen, transfer it, on its pan, directly into the preheated oven, and bake for 8 minutes or until dough is slightly puffed and lightly colored. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool the pastry crust, and gently flatten the pastry inside the border with a spatula. Peel and halve the pears. Remove the cores of each pear half with a melon baller. Cut each half into three or four lengthwise slices. Arrange the slices on the crust. Evenly sprinkle the almonds over and around the pear slices. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and spices. Brush the pears and almonds with the melted butter and evenly sprinkle over the sugar mixture. Place the pizza back into the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown, and most of the pear juices are cooked off. Cool the pizza slightly, on its pan, on a wire rack. Slice with a sharp knife or pizza wheel and serve very warm \- alone, or with creme fraiche, ice cream or whipped cream. NOTE: Pizza may be made up to 8 hours ahead, and kept \- covered \- at room temperature. Uncover and reheat before serving. Variations: Fresh peaches or nectarines may be substituted for pears with blueberries or raspberries sprinkled over for color. In that case, almonds may be eliminated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POACHED PEARS IN RASPBERRY SAUCE We used to serve these as part of elaborate dessert buffets when I was a caterer. I had some customers that asked me to make extra, so they could enjoy them again! They are beautiful, too. 6 Pears \*Note: bosc pears have a pleasing shape and texture for this recipe 24 whole cloves 1 cup, sugar 1 cup, orange juice 1/2 cup, lemon juice 2 pieces, cinnamon stick pinch of salt 1 package, frozen raspberries \- thawed \[the box\-shaped package, not a bag\] Peel pears but do not core them, and leave their stems intact; cut a thin slice off the bottoms of pears if necessary, so they will sit flat, without tipping over. Stud each pear randomly with 4 cloves. Set prepared pears aside. In a saucepan large enough to contain the pears, combine the sugar with the orange and lemon juices, and add the cinnamon sticks and salt. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring, and boil vigorously for 5 minutes. Add the prepared pears to this syrup, and poach (cook them gently) until pears are fork\-tender. Remove the pears from the syrup with slotted spoon; reserve the poached pears in a shallow bowl. Bring the poaching syrup to a boil and boil until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the package of frozen, thawed raspberries (including any liquid) and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Strain this syrup through a sieve or strainer to remove the raspberry seeds. Pour the strained syrup over the pears in their bowl. Chill until serving time. \[You may wish to spoon the syrup over the pears occasionally while they begin chilling to produce an even, rosy color on all the pear surfaces.\] ENJOY and let us know if you make any of these recipes!

Just do the pears in the same way as apples. You can leave them as slices, or turn them into pear sauce - or a bit of both in each jar. Cinnamon is the spice of choice with pears, but cloves is just fine, too.

Pears really have to be frozen in syrup to hold any kind of quality. The cell structure on them is just too prone to total collapse otherwise. See http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/pear.html The other alternative is to just can the pears plain and then make the pie filling just before serving. You will almost always end up with better quality mixed recipes if you can each of the ingredients plain first. Canned apples, canned pears, and canned cranberries can them be turned into pie filling at any time later. As for using what you have - the pie filling is going to be poor quality IMO if you use less than fresh pears. I'd turn it into Apple-Cranberry Pie filling by upping the amount of apples to cover the left out pears. Turn your frozen pears into pearsauce (like applesauce) or pear jam. Using it in baking could work if you first drain them as for jelly using multiple layers of cheesecloth ot a muslin jelly bag. Dave

(Don't know how I missed this the first time around.) Yum! Love pears - Bartletts are my fave for eating fresh = ) I usually make pear, apple & raisin pie for the holidays & also like to use the same combo for fruit crisps - sweetened w/ maple syrup instead of sugar. I always add a bit of lemon or lime juice to balance the sweetness - it gets in there anyway, if you use it to inhibit browning while prepping the fruit. When my dad was alive, I would always make a mincemeat pie (his fave) for Christmas & would add finely chopped pears to purchased mincemeat to make it juicier & not as strong-tasting.