Heavenly Bartletts

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There's no better pear for my money than a Bartlett. Juicy, flavorful and aromatic, a Bartlett pear is great raw, eaten out of hand or as a salad component. It makes the best poached pears you could ever want.

Poaching ensures that the pears won't darken or exude liquid into the dessert you're making, whether it's a tart, pie or even a cake. Poaching also is the best way to heighten the already enchanting flavor of an excellent pear.

Said to have originated in Calabria in southern Italy, Bartletts probably were introduced to France by St. Francis of Paola. St. Francis brought a young tree as a gift for King Louis XI of France, who had summoned him in the hope that the saint would miraculously cure the king's many illnesses.

When the king died in 1483, St. Francis returned to Italy, but he left behind the legacy of his pear tree, called by the French the "poire bon chretien" (good Christian pear).

Bartletts crossed the channel to England in the 17th century and took their name from a British horticulturist named Williams. (In Europe, Bartletts are still called Williams.) They were distributed in the United States by Enoch Bartlett of Dorchester, Mass., and, thus, named for him here.

Bartlett pears should be purchased firm and left to ripen for a few days at room temperature. A ripe pear yields to gentle pressure at the blossom end and is never soft. Overripe pears acquire a mealy texture, and although they remain sweet, they have a starchy taste and texture.

Try today's poached pears just as they are or in the fancy, old-fashioned poached pears with chocolate ice cream, traditionally called coupe Belle Helene and named for Jacques Offenbach's 19th-century operetta "La Belle Helene."

Poached pears

Water

Ice