Red Williams Pears
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Red Williams pears (Pyrus communis 'Williams' Bon Chrétien') — the same variety as the standard Williams pear, which is in turn the same variety known as Bartlett in North America. The Red Williams is a naturally occurring colour mutation — a bud sport — of the original green-yellow Williams, discovered on a branch that produced red-skinned fruit while the rest of the tree fruited normally. The mutation was propagated by grafting and is now widely grown across European pear-producing regions. The red colour is anthocyanin pigmentation in the skin only; the flesh inside is the same pale cream-white as a standard Williams.
The Williams is the benchmark dessert pear for a reason. The flesh, when ripe, is buttery, smooth, and notably low in the grit cells (stone cells) that make many pear varieties feel sandy on the tongue. The flavour is sweet with a musky, almost perfumed quality and a gentle acidity that stops it from being one-dimensional. It is also one of the most aromatic pears — a ripe Williams fills a room with fragrance in a way that a Conference or a Comice does not.
Pears are one of the few fruits that ripen better off the tree than on it. Left on the branch until fully ripe, the flesh develops a grainy, mealy texture from the inside out. Picked slightly immature and ripened at room temperature, the flesh softens evenly to that characteristic buttery consistency. This is why pears are always shipped firm — it is not a compromise, it is the correct way to handle them. If they arrive hard, leave at room temperature for two to four days until the neck gives slightly under thumb pressure. Once ripe, eat within a day or two — the window between perfect and overripe is narrow.
Origin: France
Ingredients: Red Williams pears (Pyrus communis).
Storage: Ripen at room temperature. Refrigerate once ripe.