Monday, November 3, 2008

Pear Liberation

Your date is better in your pie and your
porridge than in your cheek; and your virginity,
your old virginity, is like one of our French
withered pears, it looks ill, it eats drily; marry,
'tis a withered pear; it was formerly better;
marry, yet 'tis a withered pear: will you anything with it?


— All's Well That Ends Well, Act I, Scene i





I have a momentous announcement in the life and times of seamuffin:


As of this recipe, I have used up the very last pear.


These are the moments for which we live life. The moments for which confetti and kazoos and Handel's Hallelujah chorus were made. It just narrowly squeezed out being proposed to on the top of a hill in Scotland as "best Seamuffin memory to date". Wait, really? Yes, really.

No, not really.

For my final and crowning pear achievement, I saw this recipe for pear crisp at Inn Cuisine. And let's be honest. I was suckered in by the photography.

Fortunately, the pear crisp was actually really good. Really ridiculously simple, really good, and edible for just about any occasion (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, dessert, boredom). It lost to the pear cake for favorite pear dessert of the season, but that's no reason to be discouraged. The pear cake was phenomenal. This was just slightly less phenomenal.





Harvest Pear Crisp (from Inn Cuisine)
This dish can be assembled ahead of time and baked prior to serving. Serve warm from baking dish, or in stemware or other serving bowls. Can also be served over ice cream if desired.

4 Anjou or Bartlett pears, cored and cut lengthwise in 1/2 inch slices (peeled or not peeled, your preference)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (to prevent pear slices from browning)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Another 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pats
1/2 cup oats (quick cooking or old fashioned, your preference)
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine sliced pears in lemon juice and toss to coat. In small bowl, wisk combine cornstarch, cinnamon, and granulated sugar. Add to pear slices; mix together. Place in a greased 8 by 8-inch baking dish, and set aside.

In a food processor, mix flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon, until combined. Add butter; pulse 6 times. Add oats and chopped nuts; pulse 2 more times. Sprinkle this mixture over pear slices already in baking dish.

Bake for approximately 40-43 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.



1 comment:

Sandie said...

I'm so glad you tried this Harvest Pear Crisp and liked it! My Grandmother would be flattered this recipe has received such attention.

If this crisp lost out to a pear cake, then that sounds like a pear cake recipe I had better try! Thanks for sharing the link to Inn Cusine, and for visiting my site. I appreciate it!