There are over 3,000 known pear varieties grown around the world, each with a distinctive character, texture, and flavor. The most popular and recognizable pears are the yellow Bartlett, egg-shaped Anjou, graceful Bosc, pudgy Comice, and tiny Forelle. Crisp, crunchy, and sweet, U.S.-grown pears are harvested from the…

 Last week we officially welcomed the first full day of autumn, so you know what that means — crisps, crumbles, and pies made with apples, with fall’s favorite fruit. From a culinary standpoint, there’s little difference in an apple crisp and an apple crumble except for the topping, either an oat-based streusel or one…

Why settle for a dessert with only one kind of berry when you can combine all the best the season has to offer in a dish appropriately called “Summer Pudding.” This deliciously simple sweet some attribute to the English; however, it's popular with Irish cooks as well and can be made either as one large pudding or as single serves in…

While I traveled through Ireland a few weeks ago, I noticed the first signs of strawberry season emerge, with roadside stands popping up in places like Kilkenny and east Cork (transported, no doubt, from Wexford, where strawberries grow in great abundance). The “season” is officially here in the U.S., too, with the…

There are over 3,000 known pear varieties grown around the world, each with a distinctive character, texture, and flavor. The most popular and recognizable pears are the yellow Bartlett, with a true pear shape, followed by the elegant, egg-shaped Anjou, (also called…