Ingredient: Pears

Move over, apples — this mild fruit has charms of its own

by

PEAR BASICS

Buying: Look for pears that are firm to the touch. Most importantly, pick pears with a little give right at the stem, a signal that they’re perfectly ripe but not mushy.

Cooking: Soft, sweet pears are excellent in salads and when served raw with funky cheeses, especially blues. They can also be poached in a variety of liquids, from wine to infused syrups.

POWER TO THE PEAR

There are around 3,000 types of pears, including Bartlett, which are soft and juicy; crisp Bosc; and well-balanced Anjou. Peaking in the early fall, pears can be preserved in several ways, including canning and drying, to extend their season.

AROUND RVA

Pearl’s Bake Shoppe: Pearl’s Fall Festival cupcake combines cranberry cake with caramelized pear filling and an apple butter buttercream.

Shagbark: Pears go savory in Shagbark’s brandy butter-glazed chicken, joined by a salad of apricots and pistachios that nestles up to the bird.

L’Opossum: Pears get poached in Chablis at L’Opossum in a seasonal salad, aka a “mélange of chicory, radicchio and baby oak leaf.”

I loved every minute of eating messy, juicy pears as a kid.

—Ben Hill, pastry chef at Can Can Brasserie

COOK LIKE A LOCAL

Pear Upside-down Cake 

By Ben Hill, pastry chef at Can Can Brasserie 

In his pear upside-down cake, pastry chef Ben Hill of Can Can Brasserie mixes pears with brown sugar and butter to create a sweet, glossy topping for the light and fluffy cake. To serve, Hill plates individually sized cakes with mascarpone ganache, maple-cranberry granola and his housemade vanilla ice cream, but feel free to skip the ganache and granola and go straight for your favorite ice cream.

Pear Topping 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

3 pears, thinly sliced

Melt the butter, add brown sugar and pour into the bottom of a greased 8-inch cake pan. Layer in the sliced pears in a spiral pattern.

Cake Batter 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 tablespoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 stick unsalted butter 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 eggs, separated 

1/2 cup whole milk 

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 

1 cup granulated sugar 

Cream the butter and half the sugar. Add in egg yolks and vanilla extract. Once emulsified, alternate dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) and the whole milk until everything is mixed. Whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a clean bowl, then add the remaining sugar until you get medium-stiff peaks. Fold that into the rest of the batter in three additions. Carefully layer that on top of your pears, bake at 350 for 30-40 mins depending on your oven. You’ll know it’s ready when the cake springs back when touched. Allow to cool on a wire rack, run a knife along the edge of the cake pan and invert onto a plate to serve.