Pear

A traditional French cake, the financier is usually made from ground almonds blended with butter and egg whites. Individual rectangular financiers are popular in France's pastry shop.

A French flourless nut cake, topped with poached pears, is lovely for Hanukkah.

Purchased pastry makes this pie a snap to prepare.

Toss Italian greens like arugula and radicchio with a vinaigrette dressing and toasted walnuts for a fresh starter, and offer crunchy seeded breadsticks alongside this unusual risotto. Finish up with chocolate biscotti and espresso.

Use on your favorite toast for breakfast or spoon over vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Light, refreshing and very sophisticated. Asian pears have a crisp texture, a round shape, and a sweet and floral aroma that's quite unlike that of the more familiar buttery "pear-shaped" pear.

The most difficult part of this recipe, other than assembling the ingredients, is marshaling the patience to wait while the chutney rests in the refrigerator. The chutney will keep for 2 weeks, as long as it's covered and refrigerated.

These patties get their moistness and delicious flavor from a combination of light and dark meat. We don't recommend using all breast meat—they just won't be as good.

Boxed spice cake never tasted so good: Fresh pears, crystallized ginger and a sweet nut topping really perk it up. Serve this warm or at room temperature. The topping will be soft when warm; it will be firmer, like southern praline, when cool.

No special pan is needed to make this outstanding free-form tart. The pear filling is complemented by buttery pastry and a nice streusel topping.

A lovely appetizer or lunch dish.

Pears are eaten widely in this part of the country, and Campari-based aperitivi begin many meals. Here the herb-based drink shows up after supper, adding its festive color and distinctive flavor to an easy-to-make pear dessert topped with a sauce incorporating Italy's famous mascarpone cheese. The pears are even better when accompanied by glasses of the Italian dessert wine Malvasia delle Lipari.

The traditional apple, walnut and chopped celery salad is updated with a yogurt and low-fat mayonnaise citrus dressing, pine nuts and Cajun seasoning.

Any extras are great cold for breakfast. As an alternative to the vanilla ice cream, top with sour cream or lowfat yogurt for a lighter interpretation.

Serve this quick treat with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

Tender, moist and quick to put together.

Here's a delicious example of an Eastern spice used to complement a Western dish.