Kurt, thats interesting to hear your favorite variety is an obscure one. My favorite is also obscure, its one called Fondante des Moulins-Lille. Along with great taste it is super precocious and reliable. Many great pears were bred a long time ago when they were considered a more desirable fruit than they are today, and many of the best ones got lost in the dustbin of history. Eliot, the Bartletts in the store can sometimes be very good, pears are picked when hard and cured so the early picking does not have the bad effect like with apples. The problem is they are often improperly picked or cured so the quality varies a lot. I would consider getting a different pear just for some variety, but if you only have those three to pick from the Bartlett is the one I would go for. Note that you could get many more varieties if you mail-ordered it. Hman is right about the Comice, that pear is too hard to grow. Re: pollination, I don't know if Superior is self-fertile or not, there seems to be conflicting information on that one. If you had limited room you could plant two pears in one hole so they could pollinate each other. Scott

How much less sugar? Keep in mind that the sugar plays a flavor roll (less sugar means less caramel), a texture roll, AND somewhat of a safety role in this particular recipe by binding up free water. Pears are less acidic than many other fruits. Even Bartletts can be borderline. And unknown variety pears may be even more so. Dave

As the holiday season is coming I thought I would share this https://youtu.be/NUdalMYKuYM Those of us who like to cook this is a great dessert.

Very nice, Glenn! I do something a little similar, but in the oven. Set the oven to 425º and put the pan into the cold oven with half a stick of butter in it. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the sugar over it and put the pears on top, cut side down. Flip after 15 minutes or so. This method doesn't produce a thick sauce, though. The juicier the pears, the thinner the sauce will beI usually serve the pears with a dab of greek yogurt or sour cream in addition to the sauce.