Pear

"Although desserts are not my forte, I wanted to send in this simple yet impressive dessert, which contains only five ingredients," says Debra Anderson of Destin, Florida. "It reminds me of the beautiful pastries displayed in bakery shop windows in France."

The parfaits can be made a day ahead.

The tea adds an elegant complexity to the sauce for the pears, dried apricots, and cherries. Using dried tart cherries instead of Bing cherries helps balance the sweetness.

You can serve this dish—a cheese and fruit course in one—in lieu of dessert. Half a pear with some greens also makes a nice first course or light brunch.

Hira Rhode of North Bennington, Vermont, writes: "My husband took me to The Perfect Wife Restaurant & Tavern in nearby Manchester to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. We rarely order dessert, but we couldn't resist the pear and almond tart. We have five pear trees of our own at home, so we could most definitely make good use of the recipe. Could you get it for us?" To create the most flavorful tart, be sure to use very ripe pears.

In a large menu, the salad is often served after a number of hearty dishes, so the portions are scaled down. For a smaller meal, this amount would serve 4 to 5 hearty salad eaters.

Offer these as a starter or as a light lunch with a salad of greens tossed in vinaigrette.

Purchased phyllo makes this pear strudel quick and easy to prepare. For best results, let the thawed frozen phyllo stand in its box at room temperature a few hours before starting. Be sure to use ripe fresh pears for the filling.

Here's a fresh take on the classic combination of fruit and cheese. Placing parchment on top of the pears as they are poaching helps keep them moist and submerged in the poaching liquid.

Top this with dollops of chilled whipped cream or scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Two favorite fall fruits turn up in an interesting, herb-scented side dish.

At Aux Truffes, the poached pears are brushed with a sabayon-like mixture and then broiled. This version is much simpler to prepare and just as pretty and delicious.

A beautiful dessert that's just right for the season. Begin making it at least three hours and up to one day ahead. What to drink: Marsala or Asti.

Caramelized pears plus dried apricots, cranberries, and prunes add intense fruit flavor to this stuffing from Rochelle Palermo Torres, a freelance recipe developer and cooking teacher.

Melting the chocolate in the pear poaching liquid makes an instant sauce.

Great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.