Pear-Almond Crisps
You can substitute other seasonal fruits for the pears. Apples, rhubarb, nectarines, blueberries and mixed berries are all good choices. You will need about 5 cups cut-up fruit or whole berries to fill the 6 baking dishes. Chopped toasted pecans or toasted, peeled and chopped hazelnuts are other nut options.
Ingredients
- 6 pears, peeled, halved, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 Tbs. plus 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) plus 1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream (optional)
Directions
Make the filling
Preheat an oven to 325°F. Have ready six 1-cup ovenproof bowls or ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.
In a large bowl, stir together the pears, the 2 Tbs. brown sugar, 1 Tbs. of the melted butter and the lemon juice. Divide evenly among the bowls or ramekins.
Make the topping
In a bowl, stir together the flour, oats, the 3/4 cup brown sugar, the almonds and cinnamon. Stir in the remaining 8 Tbs. melted butter until you have evenly moistened crumbs. Spoon the crumb mixture evenly over the pear filling.
Bake the crisps
Bake until the pears are tender when tested with a toothpick, the juices are bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Serve the crisps warm or at room temperature with scoops of the vanilla ice cream. Serves 6.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Desserts, by Elinor Klivans (Oxmoor House, 2007).