Pears are pome fruit, related to the apple, nashi and quince, but as the phrase “pear-shaped” suggests, pears have a larger, more rotund bottom, tapering upwards to a smaller neck near the stem.

They can have green, yellow or reddish skin, with white, juicy flesh. Like apples, pears also have small seeds near the core of the fruit.

Common varieties of pear in Australia include Josephine, Williams, Packham’s Triumph, Red Sensation, Beurre Bosc, Corella and Red Anjou. These varieties differ in size, shape, colour and sweetness.

Pears couple well with both sweet and savoury foods and can be eaten fresh, added to salads or cheese platters, or baked, poached and caramelised and made into dessert dishes or served as an accompaniment to meats.

New-season Williams pears are now available from Pavlos Fruits at its Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market stall. Different varieties of pears will be available in the next few weeks at a number of other stalls, including from Adelaide Hills growers at the market. The Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market is open on Sundays from 9am to 1pm at the Adelaide Showground, Leader Street, Wayville.

McLaren Vale Orchards also has new-season pears at its stall at the Willunga Farmers’ Market on Saturday from 8am to 12.30pm.

Also on Saturday mornings is the new Gawler Farmers’ Market, where stallholders will be offering Adelaide Hills, Barossa and Gawler-grown pears in the next few weeks. Gawler Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 8am to noon at the Gawler Visitor Information Centre, 2 Lyndoch Road, Gawler.

Willunga Farmers’ Market marketing and communications coordinator Lyndall Vandenberg has shared the following recipe for a simple tart using fresh pears, figs and grapes.

“This beautiful tart, rather like a rustic open pie, is filled to the brim with a jumble of seasonal fruit and is simple to make,” writes Vandenberg. “You won’t get a clean slice, so dig in with a big spoon and serve in bowls with a drizzle of cream or a spoonful vanilla ice cream.”

Rustic pear, fig & grape tart

Ingredients

Pastry

2 ¾ cups plain flour
1 tbs castor sugar
Pinch of salt
250g unsalted butter, chilled
2 eggs
3 tbs water

Filling

1 kg semi-hard pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
10 figs, quartered
1 small bunch fresh table grapes, stemmed
1/3 cup castor sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
large handful of whole walnuts
2 tbs brandy
250g marscapone
1 egg

Method

Lightly grease a 25cm tart tin or shallow oven-proof frypan and preheat oven to 200C (fan-forced).

Place pears in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water, cover with a lid and gently cook until they begin to soften – about 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook for a further 5 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the dough, sift together the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into cubes and mix together with your hands until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Using a small bowl, beat one egg with a fork. Add the egg and water to the flour mixture and mix until the dough holds together.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and, working quickly, lightly knead until smooth. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Roll the dough out until it’s about 45cm round. Brush off any excess flour and fit into the baking dish. The edges will overhang the sides quite a bit. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with a fork and then brush the insides of the dough with the egg.

Place pears, figs, grapes, sugar and brandy in a large bowl then gently mix the ingredients together. Transfer the filling onto the tart dough then scatter walnuts over it.

In a small bowl, mix together the mascarpone and remaining egg then pour over the tart filling. Lift up the edges to cover the filling then sprinkle a good amount of additional sugar over the top of the dough.

Place in oven and cook for 1 hour or until dough is browned and the fruit is cooked through. Remove the tart from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 10