There comes a point in autumn when pudding stops feeling optional.
The evenings draw in, jumpers migrate back to the front of the wardrobe and the idea of eating something warm from the oven becomes considerably more appealing than it was in July.
This is where pears come into their own.
Sweet, fragrant and wonderfully accommodating, pears are made for autumn desserts. Bake them beneath a crumble topping, tuck them into a sponge, poach them gently with spices or simply roast them until soft and caramelised.
Better still, they don’t require much interference. A ripe pear already brings plenty of sweetness and flavour to proceedings. Mostly, our job is not to get in the way.
So, if there are a few pears ripening in the fruit bowl – or rather more than a few waiting on a tree – here are six easy pear desserts for cosy autumn evenings.
Why pears are perfect for autumn puddings
Different pear varieties ripen at different times, stretching the season from late summer well into autumn. ‘Williams’ Bon Chrétien’ is among the earlier varieties, while familiar favourites such as ‘Conference’ and ‘Concorde’ are generally enjoyed during October and November.
Their natural sweetness pairs beautifully with the flavours we tend to reach for as the temperature falls: cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, chocolate and nuts.
And then there’s their texture.
Choose a pear that’s ripe but still firm and it can be poached, baked or roasted while holding its shape. Very ripe pears, meanwhile, are excellent folded into cakes, sponges and crumbles.
In other words, there’s usually a pudding for whatever state your fruit bowl happens to be in.
Pear and blackberry crumble
There are puddings, and then there is crumble.
Few things say autumn quite so convincingly as a dish of bubbling fruit disappearing beneath a golden, buttery topping. Pears work particularly well with blackberries: the pears bring mellow sweetness, while the berries add colour and a welcome touch of sharpness.
And if you’ve frozen some blackberries gathered earlier in the season, this is exactly the sort of moment you were saving them for.
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the fruit:
- 5 ripe but firm pears
- 200g blackberries, fresh or frozen
- 40g light brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the crumble:
- 180g plain flour
- 100g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 80g light brown sugar
- 50g rolled oats
- 40g chopped hazelnuts, optional
Method
Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5.
Peel, core and roughly chop the pears. Put them into a medium baking dish with the blackberries, sugar, cinnamon, flour and lemon juice, then gently mix everything together.
Put the flour and butter into a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and oats, followed by the hazelnuts if using.
Scatter the crumble generously over the fruit. Don’t press it down – those rough little peaks and craggy bits are exactly what become deliciously crisp in the oven.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling around the edges.
Leave it alone for five minutes if you possess that sort of restraint, then serve with custard, cream or vanilla ice cream.
There is no wrong answer here.
Baked pears with honey and walnuts
For something remarkably easy that still looks as though you’ve made an effort, bake your pears.
Honey, butter and a warm oven do most of the work. Walnuts bring crunch, while cinnamon adds just enough warmth to make the kitchen smell reassuringly autumnal.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 ripe but firm pears
- 25g unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp runny honey
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 50g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp water
- Thick natural yoghurt, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream, to serve
Method
Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5.
Halve the pears lengthways and scoop out the cores with a teaspoon. Arrange them cut-side upwards in a baking dish.
Dot with butter, drizzle over the honey and vanilla, then sprinkle with cinnamon and walnuts. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish.
Bake for 25–35 minutes, depending on the firmness of the pears, spooning the juices over them once or twice during cooking.
They’re ready when a small knife slides easily into the flesh but the pears still hold their shape.
Serve warm with yoghurt or crème fraîche. Or ice cream.
Or custard.
Autumn is no time for unnecessary restrictions.
Easy pear and almond tart
Pear and almond is one of those combinations that seems to have been designed specifically for an autumn afternoon.
The juicy fruit works beautifully against the richness of almonds, particularly when they’re brought together in a buttery frangipane tart.
A traditional version can be quite an undertaking, but we’re taking a shortcut with ready-made pastry. There are leaves to kick through and daylight is disappearing at an alarming rate. Nobody needs to spend the entire afternoon making pastry.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 1 sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry, about 320g
- 3 ripe but firm pears
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 100g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- ½ tsp almond extract, optional
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- Icing sugar, to finish
Method
Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5.
Use the pastry to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing it gently into the edges. Trim away any excess, prick the base with a fork and chill for 15 minutes.
Line the pastry with baking paper and baking beans, then bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return the pastry to the oven for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs gradually, then fold in the ground almonds, flour and almond extract, if using.
Peel, halve and core the pears, then slice each half thinly while keeping the slices roughly together.
Spread the almond mixture over the pastry base. Arrange the pears over the top and scatter with flaked almonds.
Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the frangipane is golden and set.
Leave to cool slightly before dusting with icing sugar.
Serve warm or at room temperature with crème fraîche.
The icing sugar makes it look reassuringly accomplished.
The ready-made pastry can remain between you and the fridge.
Poached pears with autumn spices
Poached pears have the useful ability to look rather elegant while requiring surprisingly little hands-on effort.
The secret is gentle cooking. Pears respond much better to persuasion than boiling.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 firm pears
- 750ml water
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 1 vanilla pod, split, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 strips orange peel
- 2 cloves
- Crème fraîche or softly whipped cream, to serve
Method
Choose a saucepan that will hold the pears fairly snugly.
Put the water, sugar, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla, orange peel and cloves into the pan. Bring gently to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Peel the pears, keeping them whole and leaving the stalks intact.
Lower them carefully into the poaching liquid. Cover with a circle of baking paper to help keep the fruit submerged, then simmer very gently for 20–30 minutes, turning occasionally.
The exact cooking time depends on the variety and ripeness of your pears. They’re ready when a knife passes easily into the flesh.
Lift the pears out and set aside. Increase the heat and simmer the poaching liquid for around 10 minutes, or until slightly reduced and syrupy.
Serve the pears warm or chilled with a spoonful of the fragrant syrup and some crème fraîche.
Suddenly Tuesday evening looks considerably more sophisticated.
Pear and ginger upside-down cake
Pears and ginger are particularly good companions.
The sweetness of the fruit softens ginger’s warmth, while the spice gives a simple sponge enough character to feel properly autumnal.
Then comes the best bit: turning the whole thing upside down and discovering whether the pears have behaved themselves.
Serves 8
Ingredients
For the pear topping:
- 3 ripe but firm pears
- 50g unsalted butter
- 70g light brown sugar
For the cake:
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 150g light brown sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 150g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 balls stem ginger, finely chopped, optional
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin.
Peel, core and slice the pears.
Melt the 50g butter with the 70g brown sugar in a small pan. Pour into the base of the prepared tin and arrange the pear slices neatly over the top.
For the sponge, beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Fold in the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and cinnamon. Stir in the milk and stem ginger, if using.
Carefully spoon the mixture over the pears and level the surface without disturbing the fruit underneath.
Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave in the tin for 10 minutes.
Then place a serving plate over the tin, take a moment to gather yourself and turn the whole thing over.
Lift away the tin.
Hopefully, there it is: glossy pears sitting proudly on top of a golden ginger cake.
Serve warm with cream or custard.
Chocolate and pear pudding
Chocolate and pear might not be the first autumn pairing that springs to mind, but it deserves considerably more attention.
Pears bring sweetness and moisture to a rich chocolate sponge without competing with it.
This is less a pudding for admiring from a distance and more one for putting in the middle of the table and getting on with.
Serves 6–8
Ingredients
- 3 ripe pears
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 150g light brown sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 125g self-raising flour
- 35g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 75g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Icing sugar, optional
- Cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease a roughly 20cm square baking dish or cake tin.
Peel, halve and core the pears. Cut each half into two thick pieces.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and fold gently together. Stir in the chopped chocolate, milk and vanilla.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish and level the surface. Arrange the pear pieces over the top, pressing them gently into the mixture.
Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the sponge is risen and cooked through.
Leave for a few minutes before serving warm with cold cream or vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate pudding. Warm pear. Melting ice cream.
Some arguments simply don’t need making.
What can I make with overripe pears?
We’ve all encountered the pear problem.
For several days, nothing happens. The pears remain resolutely firm. Then, during an apparently tiny window when nobody is paying attention, the entire fruit bowl ripens at once.
Fortunately, very ripe pears are often exactly what you want for baking.
Cut away any bruised or damaged areas and use the soft fruit in pear crumble, cakes, muffins or sponge puddings. You can also cook the pears down into a simple compote with a little cinnamon and serve it with porridge, yoghurt or pancakes.
If you can’t use ripe pears immediately, peel, core and chop them before freezing. Their texture will be softer once defrosted, so save them for recipes where appearance doesn’t matter – crumbles, compotes and cakes rather than beautifully arranged tarts.
A slightly overripe pear may have lost its chances of appearing elegantly on a cheeseboard.
Its pudding career, however, is only just beginning.
Which pears are best for desserts?
The best pear depends on what you’re making.
For poaching, roasting and baking, choose pears that are ripe but still firm enough to retain their shape. ‘Conference’ is a particularly useful all-rounder and works well in many cooked dishes.
Softer, more aromatic dessert pears are wonderful when the fruit itself is the star, while very ripe pears can be put to excellent use in cakes, crumbles and puddings.
There are also traditional culinary pears bred specifically for cooking. ‘Catillac’, for example, has hard, slightly gritty flesh when raw but transforms with slow cooking, softening and developing a pink to reddish colour.
Not every good cooking pear, it seems, makes a particularly persuasive first impression.
Make the most of pear season
Perhaps the nicest thing about autumn puddings is that they don’t need to be terribly complicated.
Fruit, butter, flour, sugar and a warm oven can achieve an extraordinary amount.
And pears make particularly agreeable starting points. They sit happily alongside blackberries, welcome cinnamon and ginger without being overwhelmed by them and seem equally content beneath crumble, surrounded by almonds or alongside chocolate.
These recipes aren’t precious, either. Swap blackberries for apples in the crumble. Leave the nuts out of the baked pears. Add a little extra ginger to the cake if that’s your sort of thing.
Autumn cooking should feel generous rather than exacting.
So, when the evenings become darker and there’s a bowl of pears on the kitchen table, take it as a suggestion.
Bake them. Poach them. Put them beneath a crumble topping. Add custard with unreasonable enthusiasm.
Autumn won’t last forever.
We may as well have pudding while it does.
Further Reading: My Garden Journal & Notes
