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Pears are troublesome. They require a lot of careful attention from the minute they are plucked underripe from the tree, throughout their shipping and subsequent storage.

At home, we wait patiently for them to ripen, gently squeezing the neck end three or four times a day, anticipating that fleeting moment of perfection. Knowing full well that the instant we leave the room they will quickly overripen and develop a rash of brown spots. Often, desperate to salvage something of the promise they so recently held, we cut them in half anyway - only to discover the centre has gone soft and brown around the core!

In Ontario, the Bartlett pear is king, but the Bosc is my personal favourite. This season, Ontario fruit growers will produce about 70,000 36-pound cases of Bosc pears - or more than 1 million kilos - according to Franco Naccarato of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Boscs are easy to identify. Typically the skin is a warm russet brown colour with a fine, sandy-textured, dry feel. The tapered neck is elegant, almost swan-like, and more often than not the stem is still attached.

They can be enjoyed while they are still quite firm because they tend to become sweeter than most other varieties early in the ripening process, thus diminishing many of the frustrations listed above. When eaten, they have a pleasantly crunchy, firm feel and taste mildly spicy.

Boscs also retain their shape very well during cooking, and look particularly attractive when poached. If you don't feel like making the almond tart in the following recipe, the pears are very good on their own, but leave them whole, increase the liquid part of the recipe and poach them a little longer.

Red wine, pear and almond tart

What you need

4 Bosc pears, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and core removed

2 cups robust red wine

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split, or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 clove

1 10-inch, pre-baked tart shell

8 ounces whole blanched almonds, lightly toasted and cooled completely

6 ounces unsalted butter

8 ounces sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

3 tablespoons apricot or plum jam

1 or 2 ounces sliced almonds

What you do

Combine the red wine, sugar, vanilla and clove, and bring to a boil.

Lower heat to simmer, add the pears and cook until just tender, about 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave to cool completely in the cooking liquid.

Blitz the almonds to a coarse powder in a food processor and place in a bowl

Cream the butter, sugar and almond extract until light, add to the almond powder along with the eggs, and mix until smooth.

Chill the mixture in the fridge until it has firmed up a bit.

Spread the jam thinly over the base of the tart shell.

Fill the tart with the almond mixture to just under the top; it will expand as it cooks.

Slice the cooled pears neatly and arrange on top of the tart, leaving a space between each slice. Sprinkle the sliced almonds between the pears.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for about 30 minutes.

While the tart is cooking, strain the remaining red wine cooking liquid and boil to reduce it to a syrup-like consistency, then cool to room temperature.

Serve the tart warm with some crème fraîche or whipped cream and the syrup.

Keith Froggett is co-owner and executive chef of Scaramouche in Toronto