They also make a great dessert ingredient. Try one of these recipes from Ken Haedrich Simple Desserts.

BLUEBERRY PEAR PIE Makes 8 servings One 9-inch unbaked pie shell, chilled FILLING one 12-ounce bag (about 2 1 cups) frozen wild blueberries 3 large ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice TOPPING 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 cup rolled oats 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon pinch of salt 1 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 -inch pieces WHILE the pie shell chills, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. To make the filling, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Toss well. Scrape the filling into the chilled shell and put the pie on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

While the pie is baking, put the topping ingredients in a bowl and rub them together until you have gravelly crumbs. Cover and refrigerate.

After 30 minutes, slide the pie out of the oven on its baking sheet. Cover the pie evenly with the crumbs, then reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes or so, until the juice is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Slide the pie onto a rack and cool to lukewarm or room temperature before slicing.

PECANS, CREAMED BLUE CHEESE AND SLICED FALL FRUIT 1 recipe Pecan Praline, modified as below 1 cup crumbled blue cheese one 3-ounce package cream cheese 2 large apples 2 large ripe pears juice of 1 lemon MAKE the praline as directed, with these changes: Working very quickly, drop the nuts into the saucepan and stir to coat. Quickly lift them out with a slotted spoon, transferring them to a buttered baking sheet. Spread the pecans out in a single layer with a fork. Cool thoroughly.

Break as much hardened sugar away from the pecans as possible, and put the pecans on a serving platter.

Using a fork, in a small bowl, mix the cheeses; leave the mixture a little chunky and uneven. Scrape the cheese into a pile on the platter.

Peel, core, and slice the fruit thickly. Toss in a bowl with the lemon juice, then arrange the fruit on the platter too. Serve with little plates and forks; everyone will figure out what to do.

PECAN PRALINE Makes about 1 1 cups praline 1 cup water 1 1 cups sugar 1 1 cups toasted pecans, cooled LIGHTLY butter a large baking sheet and set it aside.

In a small or medium-size saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Gradually bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice as it begins to boil.

Boil the syrup for 10 to 15 minutes, undisturbed, until the sugar turns a medium amber colour, it may help to momentarily pull the pan off the heat so the bubbling subsides and you can better judge the colour.

When the sugar is done, you should notice a distinct caramelised sugar smell, and see puffs of smoke, as opposed to steam, coming from the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the cooled pecans. Stir with a wooden spoon, to coat all of the nuts, then scrape the mixture out onto the buttered sheet. Spread the nuts around in a mostly single layer, and let cool thoroughly.

When the praline is totally cooled, scrape it off the sheet. Chop coarsely by hand or break the mixture into a food processor and grind to a fairly fine consistency. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. It will keep for weeks.

POACHED PEAR HALVES IN GINGER SYRUP Makes 4 to 6 servings 1 1 cups pear juice, available at health food stores 1 cup sugar 1 cinnamon stick (optional) 1 big thumb-size piece of fresh ginger 3 large ripe pears, peeled, halved, and cored IN a small nonreactive saucepan, bring the pear juice, sugar, and cinnamon stick, if you're using it, to a boil. As it heats, cut the ginger into quarter-size slivers and add them to the liquid along with the pear halves.

Cook the pears at a lively simmer for about 20 minutes, until very tender; turn them occasionally with a spoon. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to serving dishes.

Turn the heat up and boil the poaching liquid until only about 1 cup of syrupy liquid remains. Strain, then spoon a little of the syrup into each bowl and serve as is.

Note: You can also use the thicker pear nectar, available at some supermarkets, thinned with water to a juice like consistency.

SLICED SAUTEED PEARS, SEVERAL WAYS Makes 4 servings 4 large ripe pears, preferably Bartletts; Boscs and Anjous are also good 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice PEEL, core, and slice the pears into slightly thicker then pie-size slices.

In a large nonreactive skillet, melt the butter. Add the sliced pears and saute them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Sprinkle on the brown sugar, increase the heat, and saute for about 3 minutes more, until the slices are a light golden brown and tender. Stir in the lemon juice and cook for another few seconds.

Serve warm or at room temperature, along or with one of the embellishments outlined on following page.

Variations: Serve with vanilla ice cream and 5-Minute Chocolate Sauce (page 198). Or crumble store-bought gingersnaps or Tess's Whole Wheat Ginger Cookies (page 17) over the top. Or add 1 cup heavy cream to the skillet about 45 seconds before the pears come off the heat. Bring to a boil and let the cream boil gently for 30 seconds. Serve the pears in their pan sauce.

GRILLED PEARS WITH WARM BLUEBERRY SAUCE 1 1 cups ruby port wine 3 tablespoons honey 1 bay leaf 4 large pears 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup blueberries 1 tablespoon water IN a small nonreactive saucepan, bring the port, honey, and bay leaf to a boil. Boil the mixture for 3 minutes, then spoon off 2 tablespoons of the liquid and reserve. Continue to boil for another 8 to 12 minutes, until the liquid is reduced to about one-third of its original volume. Remove from the heat.

Peel and halve the peaches, removing the pits. Rub them on all surfaces with the olive oil and place them on the grill; the rack should be set 4 to 5 inches from the coals.

GOLDEN DELICIOUS -- Pears make a fantastic dessert ingredient.