Ideas abound for autumn’s most versatile fruit so get poaching, slicing and crumbling.
It's strange to think we were swimming in the sea until Easter but there's no denying autumn is well and truly here. I don't mind the colder weather. I romanticise the impending winter, dreaming of cosy nights with red wine, lots of slow cooking and warm, comforting desserts.
Autumn provides a bounty of produce. For a short season we are treated to feijoas, figs and quince, but for a longer spell we get the pear, one of the most versatile fruits. They are great at breakfast, for dessert or served as a savoury in salads. They are a wonderful addition to a cheese plate, sliced thinly, and are perfect with blue cheese.
When I was thinking of recipes using pears, my list was huge. Adding them to gingerbread, pear tarte tatin, in cakes, or in my favourite wintery fruit salad - golden kiwi, pear, and banana. I've stuck with the classics today, though - poached, in a salad and with a crumble.
When I was in Sydney last year I had some amazing poached pears for breakfast at a cafe in Coogee Beach called Little King. They were served with ricotta and had a home-made granola crumble sprinkled over the top. Poached pears make a great breakfast and it's easy to have a batch sitting in a jar in the fridge for up to a week. They make an equally good dessert.
