Making Soups, Salads, And Main Courses With Winter Pears

Enjoy the fruit of winter harvest sliced on top of hearty greens, poached alongside chicken, or stewed as a sweet accompaniment to seared pork chops and more.

The sweet and subtle floral notes of pears are perfect for accompanying salty, pungent blue cheese and buttery Brie. Additionally, you can combine pears with the anise flavor of fennel or to add a hint of sweetness and body to squash soups.

Check out these 12 pear recipes from The Daily Meal's Best Recipes collection that celebrate this versatile, winter fruit.

The fall flavor combination of pears and blue cheese brings a seasonal element to an otherwise simple chicken dish. — Whole Foods Market

For the Baked Chicken with Spinach, Pears, and Blue Cheese recipe, click here.

Add a little sweetness to your next burger with sautéed pears. — Milagros Cruz

For the Beef Burger with Pears and Brie recipe, click here.

The dark beer infuses the pork with its bitter-sweetness, and the apple and pear combat the bitter with a sugary sweetness that pairs so well with the fatty flavor of the chops. — vlebron

For the Beer-Braised Pork Chops with Pears and Apples, click here.

This soup is a good example of taking a simple, seasonal ingredient and elevating its flavor and presentation by adding complementary flavors with the fennel and pear. Plus, a warming soup is a perfect wintertime meal. — Bronson Van Wyck

For the Butternut Squash Soup with Fennel and Pears recipe, click here.

This is easy-to-make soup uses water instead of stock. Pears, winter squash, and apple cider all appear on farm stands at about the same time. Their varying degrees of sweetness have a natural affinity for one another. Curry powder adds an exotic kick and helps balance the sweetness of the other ingredients. — USA Pears

For the Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Bisque recipe, click here.

Sweet pears are a great addition to savory recipes, like this soup. Use fresh or canned corn, depending on the season. — USA Pears

For the Pear and Sweet Corn Soup with Basil-Macadamia Pesto recipe, click here.

This hot soup is sweet and rich, mostly thanks to creamy pears, which are balanced by earthy leeks and brightened with a spicy hit of ginger. Although it's pretty simple, you can see that we're leaving juxtaposition behind and moving into a more profound melding of flavors in the dishes. You'll want a more acidic palette of flavors in the dishes surrounding this one. When you're at the store, remember the rule for fruit: If pears don't smell like anything, they won't taste like anything. — Vegetarian Dinner Parties

For the Pear Soup, Ginger, Buttery Leeks recipe, click here.

Quick to prepare and delicious, this versatile little salad can be served as a starter, a light lunch, or a cheese course/dessert. The shaved pecorino pepato, a delicious hard Italian cheese studded with black peppercorns, is my way of seasoning the salad — it adds sharpness, salt, and pepper all at once. Make sure you use baby turnips, which can be eaten raw. — Greg Marchand, Frenchie

For the Pear, Turnip, and Pecorino Pepato Salad recipe, click here.

This dish combines quinoa with the delicious flavor combination of sweet pears, tart pomegranate seeds, and peppery watercress. — Whole Foods Market

For the Quinoa with Watercress, Pears, and Pomegranates recipe, click here.

Whether you are planning a lazy day or are in the mood for a special treat, this mouth-watering breakfast combination is perfection itself. — Panini Spruce 2014

For the Ricotta and Pear Drizzle Panini recipe, click here.

Take advantage of pears in season and try a new variety in this twist on a popular dish. A little sweet pear (or apple or dried fig) makes the dressing especially good. — Whole Foods Market

For the Spinach Salad with Pears, Walnuts, and Goat Cheese recipe, click here.

We're proud of the hard work we've done to continually raise our standards for raising farm animals. For example, while federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in raising pigs, we also have these standards: no antibiotics ever, vegetarian diet, raised on family farms, and not restrained in gestation or farrowing crates. Plus, our pork tastes great! — Whole Foods Market

For the Tangy Grilled Pork Chops with Pears and Blue Cheese recipe, click here.