Pear

It's all about the interplay between cake, syrup, and pears in this sophisticated dessert. The rosemary syrup would also be delicious in a cup of tea.

Barley replaces arborio in this "risotto."

Don't be nervous about making meatless mincemeat if you've never tried it before—it's a knockout combination of dried fruits and spices that adds wonderfully deep flavor to baked goods. Here, chunks of sweet pear and a handful of tart fruit create a pie that's fantastic with vanilla ice cream.

Muscat-poached Seckel pears are tucked into moist almond cakes for a charming dessert. Besides being cute, these tiny cakes leave guests room for pumpkin pie.

Substituting fried ham for bacon is a great use of everyday deli meat. The sweet pears mellow chicory's pleasant bitterness.

Until you've tried this dessert, you may not have tasted a pear's multiple personalities.

The heady flavor of almond is threaded through this lovely dessert. The combination of Amaretto and warm pear juices creates a fragrant syrup, and a crisp, nutty topping adds welcome contrast to the tender roasted fruit.

Kuchen, a German yeast cake, acts as a golden pillow for ripe pears and a cinnamon, sugar, and hazelnut topping.

The combination of sweet and savory from pears and sausage is just what you want to take the chill off an autumn evening.

A few simple ingredients come together in an unexpected way to create a delicate beginning for a luxurious dinner.

Even pears that aren't quite ripe become extraordinarily delicious when roasted until sweet and caramelized. Here, they make the perfect counterpoint to a beautiful mix of bitter greens.

Crème fraîche is a cultured cream with a rich, silky texture and a nutty, tangy flavor that's well worth seeking out for this recipe. Look for it at some supermarkets and in the dairy section of specialty foods stores. Baker's sugar, a favorite of pastry chefs, is also called superfine sugar. It measures the same as regular but dissolves more quickly. It's available at some supermarkets. You can also make your own by whizzing granulated sugar in a food processor until powdery.

In this easy dish, a little bit of almondy custard dresses up fresh fruit, making it special for company while preserving its pure goodness.

Remarkably easy, but pretty and elegant enough for a dinner party.

Verjus is a tart grape juice made from unripe wine grapes. Milder than vinegar, it can be used in salad dressings without competing with an accompanying wine the way vinegar does. Look for it at specialty foods stores or online at chefshop.com and terrasonoma.com. What to drink: Pour an Oregon Pinot Noir with the salad and the Herbed Lamb Chops with Pinot Noir Sauce.