The Perfect Pantry®

Recipe for slow cooker poached pears in caramel sauce

When my Canadian relatives arrive for American Thanksgiving next month, I want to spend lots of time visiting with them instead of working in the kitchen. My strategy this year involves slow cookers, putting all three of mine (3-, 4- and 7-quart) to work. In the largest cooker, I'll make black bean and sweet potato stew, a colorful vegan main dish. The 3-quart might be perfect for gravy, and the 4-quart for a dessert to serve alongside the got-to-have-it pumpkin pie. Kathy, my cooking assistant, and I are testing several dessert possibilities, and we think these poached pears in caramel sauce are a winner. They're simple and elegant on their own, which is how I like them, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top will melt the heart of even the most die-hard pie fan.

Quick and easy apple or pear tart recipe

Soon after Ted and I moved to Boston's South End in 1980, we met a woman who lived on Fort Hill, a middle class, not-yet-gentrified enclave of brick row houses in the midst of the low-income, mostly black and Hispanic Roxbury neighborhood. She invited us to dinner, and we had a lovely evening. Then, we called a taxi to pick us up. Our host laughed, and said no cabs would come to her neighborhood at that time of night. She was right, as it turned out, and we waited an uncomfortably long hour-plus until one finally arrived. Fortunately, our awkward exit isn't all I remember about that night; I remember the apple tart she made for dessert. This is it, a bare-bones, apple-lover's, no-gooey-pastry-cream tart best made with crisp apples (and equally delicious made with sweet pears). If you've spent any time here in The Perfect Pantry, you know I don't bake. In fact, I'm a bake-o-phobe. So, when I tell you this pretty tart is super quick and easy, believe me. You can do it.

Apple-blueberry chutney recipe

When my friend Lucia, who goes berry picking every year at our local orchard, posted on Facebook that she'd made blueberry chutney, I asked immediately if I could appropriate her idea. I didn't ask for her recipe, and instead looked to the bowls of produce sitting on my counter. I had blueberries from the farmers' market, and a couple of apples that were no longer entirely lovely on the outside. The herb garden offered fresh tarragon, something I love to grow but don't use often enough in my cooking. The remaining ingredients, traditional chutney components, came straight from the pantry: onions and garlic, vinegar and sugar, and a wee bit of heat. When my husband Ted and I sampled this straight from the pot, we felt the ingredients weren't quite balanced, but after a few hours chilling in the refrigerator, everything aligned. The flavor was just right, and the color oh-so-purple. Serve this on a cracker with cream cheese or a slice of brie, or on a turkey sandwich. Why not make some now, and freeze it for Thanksgiving?

Mango, watermelon and tomato salsa fresca recipe

A week of recipes designed for easy cooking, in or out of a burrito. Viva Mexico Week, Day Three.

Even though I love Mexican food, I'm a little afraid of salsa fresca, the salsa that works magic on chicken and bean burritos but almost always contains cilantro. Sometimes those cilantro leaves jump right up and grab onto my tongue, where I can't avoid the vaguely soapy taste they leave behind. One day, I had an epiphany: I can make my own salsa, and leave the cilantro out. Yes, out, completely, none, not one sprig of it. Don't tell anyone, but this mango, watermelon and tomato salsa fresca packs plenty of sweet and a touch of heat, flavor and crunch, and doesn't need cilantro at all. If you want to add it, I won't stop you, but try it without and enjoy your own little epiphany over your next burrito.