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  1. Midwest Living
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  4. Perfect Pear Recipes

Perfect Pear Recipes

By Midwest Living editors Updated November 21, 2022
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Roasted Pear Salad with Farro and Arugula
Credit: Carson Downing

If apples have been your fall-back fruit for baking, these recipes will make you think twice. Try pears in salads, cobblers, quick breads, roasted fruit-veggie mixes and more. 

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Roasted Pear Salad with Farro and Arugula

Roasted Pear Salad with Farro and Arugula
Credit: Carson Downing
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This creamy, whole-grain salad earned raves in our test kitchen. It's hardy enough to be a meatless main, or enjoy it as a festive side dish or cold-weather potluck star.

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Dutch Baby with Chai-Spiced Pears

Dutch Baby with Chai-Spiced Pears
Credit: Carson Downing
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

The combination of spiced, buttery pears; tart creme fraiche; and baked pancake is sublime, and so festive. For maximum puff, let the eggs and milk sit out for 30 minutes to take the chill off before making the batter.

Related: Our Best Brunch Recipes

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Pear Tarte Tatin

Pear Tarte Tatin
Credit: Carson Downing
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Just seven ingredients go into this upside-down French tart. And one of them is très-easy purchased puff pastry. (Choose an all-butter pastry, such as Dufour or the Trader Joe's house brand, for the best flavor.)

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Triple-Spiced Pear Bread

Triple-Spiced Pear Bread
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Oats, walnuts and nuggets of chopped pear give this loaf a toothsome heartiness, while buttermilk keeps it moist and tender.

Related: 20 Sweet Quick Bread Loaves

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Roasted Breakfast Pears

Roasted Breakfast Pears
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Roast pears in the evening and chill overnight. All you'll have to do in the morning is top the tender fruit with a healthy Greek yogurt-based cream and granola.

Related: Try Our Fruit and Nut Granola

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Bacon-Pear Macaroni and Cheese

Bacon-Pear Macaroni and Cheese
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Crispy bacon, extra-creamy cheese sauce, pears sauteed in brown sugar and butter. It took our test kitchen three tries to get all the pieces right for this fall comfort food. Oh man, was it worth it.

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Triple Pear Pie with Walnut Crust

Triple Pear Pie with Walnut Crust
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You can't mistake the fruit in this cardamom-spiced beauty. Pear nectar and dried pears complement thick slices of fresh, juicy Bosc pears.

Related: Make Your Best Pie Ever

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Five-Spice Pear Pie Bars

Five-Spice Pear Pie Bars
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Pie bars are a little like those frozen toaster strudels... if toaster strudels were made with fresh fruit and a surprising spice by a creative at-home pastry chef (that's you!).

Related: Our Best Bar Cookies

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Spiced Pear-Cranberry Cobbler

Spiced Pear-Cranberry Cobbler
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You can almost remember a misty-morning trip to the orchards and bogs when you taste this riff on a Midwest favorite. A pumpkin-cornmeal biscuit crowns the sweet-tangy fruit duo.

Related: Cobbler and Crisp Recipes

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Rustic Pear Tart with Saffron Pastry

Rustic Pear Tart with Saffron Pastry
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Saffron is expensive, but just a pinch injects an earthy, honeyed quality to the pastry that brings out flavors in the pear.

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Honey-Sage Sweet Potatoes, Pears and Walnuts

Honey-Sage Sweet Potatoes, Pears and Walnuts
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A colorful mixture of sweet potatoes, red onion and pears blends with sage and sweet honey in this easy roasted side.

Related: Best Roasted Vegetable Recipes

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Spiced Maple Tart with Poached Pears

Spiced Maple Tart with Poached Pears
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Cutting pears into a fan shape takes an autumn-spiced tart's look from homey to holy moly.

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Pappa's Pear Stuffing

Pappa’s Pear Stuffing
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You can serve this hearty, fruit-studded dressing with roasted or grilled pork, poultry or ham. The recipe comes from the historical Story Inn in Nashville, Indiana.

Related: Best Stuffing Recipes Ideas

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Roasted Pears with Lemon Cream and Candied Pine Nuts

Roasted Pears with Lemon Cream and Candied Pine Nuts
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This grand finale of a dessert features maple-burnished pears, drifts of lemony whipped cream and a sprinkling of candied pine nuts. It's all about contrasts—warm and cool, creamy and crunchy, sweet and tart. And best of all, all three components can be made ahead of time.

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Spiced Pear-Chocolate Upside-Down Cake

Spiced Pear-Chocolate Upside-Down Cake
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Under those gorgeous slabs of buttery fruit, this chocolatey cardamom-laced afternoon tea cake holds a buried treasure of juicy pear bits. (Word to the wise: Our testers recommend keeping the photo of the cake handy when you're slicing the pears.)

Related: Upside-Down Cake Recipes You'll Flip Over

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Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Pie

Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Pie
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This rich, chocolate-y pie's flavor really depends on ripe, flavorful pears. (In other words, if they're still rock-hard, don't bother.) For a topping idea, try making homemade whipped cream with a dollop of sour cream whipped in; the slight acidity nicely cuts through the pie's chocolatey richness.

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Coconut-Mocha Poached Pears

Coconut-Mocha Poached Pears
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Juicy pears cook in a just-sweet-enough sauce of chocolate, coconut milk and coffee. 

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    1 of 17 Roasted Pear Salad with Farro and Arugula
    2 of 17 Dutch Baby with Chai-Spiced Pears
    3 of 17 Pear Tarte Tatin
    4 of 17 Triple-Spiced Pear Bread
    5 of 17 Roasted Breakfast Pears
    6 of 17 Bacon-Pear Macaroni and Cheese
    7 of 17 Triple Pear Pie with Walnut Crust
    8 of 17 Five-Spice Pear Pie Bars
    9 of 17 Spiced Pear-Cranberry Cobbler
    10 of 17 Rustic Pear Tart with Saffron Pastry
    11 of 17 Honey-Sage Sweet Potatoes, Pears and Walnuts
    12 of 17 Spiced Maple Tart with Poached Pears
    13 of 17 Pappa's Pear Stuffing
    14 of 17 Roasted Pears with Lemon Cream and Candied Pine Nuts
    15 of 17 Spiced Pear-Chocolate Upside-Down Cake
    16 of 17 Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Pie
    17 of 17 Coconut-Mocha Poached Pears

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