Poached Pears with Blackberries

4 medium pears
1 lemon – grated zest and juice
250g blackberries
300 ml apple juice
50g sugar

1. Peel pears leaving whole with stalks on. Put in pan with lemon zest and juice, apple juice, sugar and half the blackberries.
2. Heat until simmering and cook with lid on for 20 minutes.
3. Remove pears from liquid, and either leave whole or halve and remove cores. Put pears in dishes, and strain liquid into another pan. Boil to reduce a little, then add remaining blackberries and pour over pears
4. Serve warm or cold with crème fraiche

Pear chutney By James Martin

Ingredients
• 60ml/2¼fl oz olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 200g/7¼oz sultanas
• 100g/3½oz raisins
• 100g/3½oz demerara sugar /or coconut sugar
• 400ml/14¼oz cider vinegar
• 100g/3½oz crystallised ginger, finely sliced
• 800g/1lb 12¼oz pears coared and cut into wedges
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 good pinch of saffron

Preparation method
1. Heat a large saucepan with the oil, add the rosemary, sultanas, raisins and sugar and fry them until the fruit begins to caramelise.
2. Pour in the vinegar and boil on a high heat for three minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, then turn to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Because of the fruit, this chutney has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan, so stir it well and keep an eye on it. Don't let the pears cook too much; they should keep their shape.
3. Spoon it into clean hot jars, filling them as full as you can, and seal while hot. Store in the fridge.

Pear and Almond Frangipane Tart (Waitrose.com)

Ingredients
375g pack Saxby's Dessert Shortcrust Pastry
75g butter, softened
75g Waitrose Unrefined Light Brown Muscovado Sugar
75g ground almonds
50g Waitrose Self Raising Flour
2 medium eggs, beaten
4tbsp Waitrose Greengage Conserve, plus extra to glaze
2 pears, peeled, cored and halved
Icing sugar, to dust

Method
1. Roll out the pastry and use to line a deep 23cm fluted flan tin. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.
2. Prick the pastry base with a fork, then line with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and cook in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Combine the butter, sugar, nuts, flour and eggs, and beat until smooth and creamy.
4. Spread the greengage conserve over the part-baked pastry base, then top with the almond mixture, smoothing the surface with a palette knife.
5. Slice the pear halves and fan out. Arrange on top of the filling. Return the tart to the oven for 35-45 minutes until the filling is set and golden brown.
6. Brush a little extra conserve over the pears and filling while the tart is still warm. Dust with icing sugar and serve with crème fraîche.

Chocolate and pear tart (Jamie Oliver)

Carol recommends this Jamie Oliver's recipe. With so many pears around, why not spoil your family and share the abundance.

ingredients
• a pack of ready-made shortcrust pastry
• 125g ground almonds
• 2 large free-range or organic eggs
• 125g butter, softened
• 95g caster sugar
• 185g dark chocolate, melted
• 3 conference pears, peeled, cored and quartered
• crème fraîche, to serve

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Roll out the pastry until ½cm thick and use it to line a 24cm tart tin. Leave in the freezer to rest for at least 20 minutes, or longer if you can.

Bake the pastry blind for around 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then remove, set aside, and reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/325°F/gas 3.

Mix your almonds, eggs, butter and sugar together and stir in the melted chocolate while it’s still warm. Pour the mixture evenly into the pastry case and then press the pears into the chocolate and almond mixture.

Bake the tart for 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the chocolate and almond mixture is firm. Serve warm with crème fraîche.