Apple Pear Crisp
The weather outside is frightful! I always love the lyrics and music of that wonderful Christmas song. Well, true to the lyrics, the weather across the country has been frightful. Good thing I baked a very comforting Apple Pear Crisp to make me feel better.
My first Apple Pear Crisp was made on a whim. I wanted to add a fruit dessert to my New Year’s Eve menu. Pears are in season, but I did not want them to be lonely. I guess it was very fortunate that the apples in the produce section were next to the pears.
I adapted a recipe from Ina Garten, which is always a great idea, because Ina’s recipes rock. I used a baking dish that holds just under 2 liquid quarts. All of the fruit fit the first two times I made the recipe. Perhaps a better description is that the fruit was piled up as high as possible without falling over.
The third time I baked my Apple Pear Crisp, the fruit did not fit. If I had a baking dish that was a tad larger, I would have transferred the fruit to it. Instead, I baked the additional fruit in a separate bowl and let Samuel enjoy it without the streusel topping.
Speaking of streusel topping, the one for this Apple Pear Crisp is divine! Just the right amount of sweetness combined with the flour and oats. M-M-M. I packed the streusel topping onto the fruit rather than sprinkle it over. I did not want to risk losing one crumb to gravity.
No matter what the weather is doing where you live, make this Apple Pear Crisp. You, too, will feel better…at least for a little while!
Watch it:
| Apple Pear Crisp | Print |
- Apple pear filling:
- zest of 1 orange, grated
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- zest of 1 lemon, grated
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2¼ pounds granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into medium size pieces
- 2¼ pounds anjou pears, peeled, cored and cut into medium size pieces
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 dashes ground nutmeg
- Streusel topping:
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 2 quart oval or rectangular baking dish and set aside.
- For the apple pear filling:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- For the streusel topping:
- Place the ingredients into a large bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed, just until the ingredients hold together. Set aside.
- Transfer the filling to the buttered dish, filling the dish and piling the fruit high. Pat the streusel topping over the fruit to prevent it from falling off.
- Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 1 hour.
- Serve warm.
- Betsy's tidbits:
- An option is to bake your Apple Pear Crisp in a 2½ quart baking dish. The fruit will not be piled quite as high. The streusel topping can be sprinkled over the top rather than patted down because it will not fall off.
- Once the Apple Pear Crisp comes out of the oven, transfer it to a trivet or the baking dish will stick to the baking pan.
