Flavoring and Augmenting

Pears lend themselves to a few different preparations. Mainly poaching, roasting, baking and raw eating.

The following is a list of classic flavor combinations as listed in the book Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. "Many of these combinations are considered classic and are especially widely practiced. These are indicated by boldface type."

almonds
anise
Armagnac
blackberries
bourbon
brandy, especially pear brandy
brown sugar
Calvados
caramel
Cassis
chablis
cheese, especially Brie, Cantal, Gorgonzola, and Roquefort
chocolate
cinnamon
cinnamon basil
cloves
Cognac
cream
creme anglaise
creme fraiche
Curacao
currants, black
figs
ginger
Grand Marnier
grappa
hazelnuts
honey
ice cream, especially caramel, pistachio, and vanilla
kirsch
lemon
lingonberries
mace
maple
Marsala
Melba Sauce
Muscat
nutmeg
nuts
oranges
pecans
pepper, black
pineapple
prunes
quinces
raisins
raspberries
Riesling, Late Harvest
spinach
star anise
vanilla
vinegar, balsamic
walnuts
wine, especially Burgundy
zabaione

Pears are mainly used in dishes on the sweeter side rather than on the savory side. I feel that pears can be used as a more complex sweet counterpoint to dishes. For instance, you are cooking bitter, peppery, winter greens and need something to balance out that nearly astringent flavor. A lot of cooks would turn to sugar, which only tastes sweet or honey which is slightly more complex. Instead use things that have more complex flavors and textures like carmelized onions, apples or PEARS. Moreover, Pears combine very nicely with various cheeses and spices so you are only adding to the layers of flavor.