Apple crisp was a common dessert made in my house growing up but it’s not something I think to make now. When I came across this recipe for Harvest Pear Crisp, I knew immediately I had to make it. Pears don’t get much better than they do in the fall and this dish celebrates their sweetness. Sliced pears are mixed with lemon juice to keep from browning and topped with a crumble of brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, butter, and oats. My food processor isn’t working so I made the crumble using a fork and it turned out just fine. But I must tell you a secret: I messed this up. I didn’t realize until after I put the crisp in the oven that I left out two ingredients entirely. A mixture of granulated sugar and cornstarch that was supposed to be added to the sliced pears and lemon juice never made it into the dish. After assuming I’d have to make the dish again, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. The brown sugar in the crumble, plus the pears, added enough sweetness to this dessert that it didn’t really need to be sweeter. In fact, if I make this again (which I probably will!), I’ll make it the exact same way.

The ingredients:

Slice the pears and mix them in a bowl with lemon juice (and sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch if you choose to follow the recipe like I didn’t). Pour pear mixture into a baking dish.

In a separate bowl or food processor, combine flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt.

Cut in cold butter with a fork (or food processor). Mix in oats and chopped walnuts.

Pour crumble over pears in baking dish. Bake at 375°F until pears are tender (mine took 45 minutes).

Serve warm (with vanilla ice cream if you so desire).

Additions: None

Omissions:

• Granulated sugar
• Cornstarch

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine