I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or in this case, turn down a gift of fresh pears from a friend who, yes, grows her own pears -- especially in the fall, when I love to bake fruit crisps, crumbles and tarts. When I received a box of Warren pears from her, I devised a number of ways to use the fruit, besides as a sugary dessert.

Pears are wonderful for baking and poaching, as most varieties hold their shape well during the cooking process. This recipe is a “healthy” version of a crumble, with the pear halves roasted in the oven, then topped with yogurt, honey and a streusel topping. Call it a healthy dessert or a decadent breakfast, but just be sure to make it.

Roasted Pears and Yogurt Streusel

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons plus 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 ripe but firm pears, such as Warren or Bartlett

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons runny honey, plus extra for drizzling

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the sugar and the 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.

Cut the pears in half lengthwise and remove the cores. Set aside half of the butter for the streusel. Brush the cut sides of the pears with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Arrange the pears in a baking pan and roast in the oven, cut side up, until tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and cool while you prepare the streusel.

Combine the oats, walnuts, brown sugar, the 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt in a bowl. Add the reserved butter and stir to coat. Spread on a small, rimmed baking pan and bake in the oven until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Whisk the yogurt, honey and vanilla in a small bowl. Arrange the pears in bowls. Spoon the yogurt into the centers of the pears. Sprinkle the streusel over the yogurt and pears. Drizzle with additional honey.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

My inspiration for making soup is often a convergence of too many vegetables in the refrigerator with homemade stock and leftovers from a roast chicken. This recipe is not an authentic tortilla soup, as I managed to empty most of the contents of my veggie drawer into it. It's chock-a-block full of corn, beans, zucchini and peppers, simmered with a few must-have aromatics (onion and garlic) and pantry staples (canned Italian plum tomatoes and black beans).

I spiced up the stock with warming Southwestern spices in defiance of the dreary drizzle outside, and finished the soup with a shower of shattered tortilla chips, which happened to be leftover remnants in the bottom of the bag -- too small for swiping through a bowl of salsa. Leftovers never tasted so good.

If you don’t have leftover chicken on hand, a store-bought rotisserie chicken and packaged stock will do the trick. Season and spice the soup to your taste. Ideally it should have a little heat, but since our family is divided on what constitutes “spicy,” I pass a bottle of hot sauce around the table so everyone can fire up the soup to their taste. This soup is meant to be thick. More chicken stock may be added for a soupier consistency.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 poblano pepper, stemmed and seeded, diced

1 sweet red pepper, stemmed and seeded, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 cups chicken stock

1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, with juice

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 pound shredded cooked chicken

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup cooked black beans

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Tortilla chips, broken in pieces, for garnish

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peppers and saute until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and zucchini and saute briefly, about 1 minute.

Add the chicken stock, plum tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne and cloves. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, corn and beans. Simmer, partially covered, until thoroughly heated through. Taste for seasoning.

Stir in the cilantro leaves and serve warm, garnished with the tortilla chips.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

I can’t think of a better way to prepare a potato than Hasselback-style. You may have seen Hasselback potatoes, with their distinctive accordion pattern. Thinly sliced, but still intact, the flesh is exposed while creating a cascade of ridges and edges ready to crisp. As the potato cooks, a flavorful basting sauce dribbles into the potato, flavoring the interior while hastening the browning of the skin. Apparently, you can have your baked potato and your crisps and eat them as one.

Russet potatoes and large Yukon Gold potatoes are fair game for Hasselback-style. The key to the prep is to first thinly slice a piece of each potato base lengthwise to stabilize them, so they won’t wobble or tilt while baking. Then cut thin slices crosswise, 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick, nearly to the bottom without cutting through the base. A trick to doing this is to lay two chopsticks or two thin cutting boards lengthwise on either side of the potato to act as buffers for the knife as it cuts through the potato, and prevent it from reaching the work surface.

Then, brush the potato all over and in the crevices with a melted butter basting sauce, and continue to baste the potato once or twice while it bakes. About halfway through the baking process, you can gently fan the slices to spread the potato farther open to expose the interior. If some of the slices break off, no worries! They will be delicious chips on the side.

Herb and Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

4 large russet or Yukon Gold potatoes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for finishing

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for finishing

1/4 cup finely grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, mint and/or chives

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut a very thin slice lengthwise from the bottom of each potato to stabilize the bottom. Cut each potato crosswise, as thinly as possible, 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick, to about 1/4-inch from the bottom, without piercing the base. Place in a baking pan or cast iron pan.

Melt the butter with the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the garlic, salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Brush the potatoes all over and in the crevices with some of the butter mixture.

Transfer to the oven and bake until the potatoes are tender and beginning to crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the potatoes, basting once or twice with the butter. In the last 10 minutes or so of cooking, sprinkle with the cheese and continue to bake until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven and immediately brush all over with the remaining butter. Season with additional salt and black pepper and sprinkle with the herbs.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS