QUINCES AND BAKINQ PEAES. 85 



side ; it is crisp and juicy. The eye is small, with 

 an erect calyx, in an even, shallow basin, and the 

 stalk is of medium length, and set in a very small 

 cavity. It is in use from February to May, and does 

 better on the pear than on the quince. It is sometimes 

 variegated in foliage, when the fruit is striped with 

 green, yellow, and red. 



The Catillac is a well-known and popular pear. 

 Large, roundish, yellow, when well matured in a warm 

 season orange, with bright red on the sunny side. The 

 eye is small, with a short, neat calyx, in a deep, wide, 

 plaited hollow ; the stalk is stout, curved, and set a little 

 obliquely in a small cavity. The flesh is firm, and the 

 fruit is in use from December until April. It grows 

 best on the pear. The tree is handsome in growth, 

 hardy, a very good bearer, and does well as a standard. 



Chaumontelles which fall from the trees too soon for 

 storing or using any other way, but which have nearly 

 reached maturity, are very good for baking or stewing, 

 and are fine and rich in colour, if the necessary means to 

 make them so are taken in the cooking. 



For having the colour good in stewed pears they 

 should be done slowly : if several hours' slow simmering 

 be allowed them, and they are then stood aside in the 

 stewpan, covered close until cold, they will be fine in 

 flavour and colour, and they have no need of the dis- 

 agreeable addition of cochineal. If the fruit is stewed 

 juickly, and turned out at once, it is very apt to be poor 

 in colour, although some pears stew to a much finer red 

 than others : Tresor is one of the best in this particular. 



In baking pears in the skins the same rule should be 

 observed. There is no better plan than to put a dish of 

 pears in the oven in the evening, and leaving them in 

 all night, and when they are soft, they will be a fine red 

 throughout. 



Quinces also require slow stewing. 



There is no greater improvement to stewed pears than 

 a little of the delicious flavour of the quince. If one 

 quince be sliced into the liquor in which the pears are 

 to be stewed, it will impart great richness to the flavour. 



