Spiced Pear
Crisp
“The range
of fruit desserts popular throughout this country is staggering.
Crisps have
a sweet, crumbly upper layer; this one is made with oats.”
Makes 6 to 8 servings
8 medium pears (Bartlett or
Comice), peeled,
cored, and thickly sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds,
walnuts or pecans *
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, diced
* Toast in
a dry sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat until a rich
aroma
is
apparent. [Toasting greatly enhances the flavor of the nuts.]
Transfer to
a
plate to cool before chopping.
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
F. Lightly butter a deep 2-quart
baking dish.
2. Combine the pears, brown sugar, lemon juice and zest, 1/4 tea-
spoon
of
the
cinnamon, the nutmeg, and ginger in the baking dish.
Spread
the pears into
an even layer.
3. Combine the flour, oatmeal, nuts, granulated sugar, salt and the
remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse the
machine on
and off a few times to combine roughly.
4. Add the butter to the oatmeal mixture and process until crumbly;
do
not
overprocess.
5. Crumble the oatmeal mixture evenly over the pears and bake in
the
preheated oven until the top is golden brown and the pears are
tender, about
1 hour. Serve warm.
Variations: Apples, peaches,
and nectarines, alone or in combination
with fresh berries; nuts, raisins,
or dried fruits can be used.
Serving Suggestions: If the
crisp is made in advance, rewarm it gently
in a 275-degree F oven for 15
minutes. French Vanilla Ice Cream [recipe
included in cookbook], lightly
whipped cream, or wedges or curls of
Cheddar or Parmesan
cheese are good
accompaniments.
Sour Cream and
Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake
“This is
the coffee cake you might hope to find cooling on a windowsill
when
you stop to visit a friend after a Saturday morning jog. The type
of
apple
you
choose will determine the flavor of the finished cake. Tart
apples
such
as
MacIntosh or Granny Smith are fine choices, while
Northern Spy
or Cortlands
will result in a mellower taste.”
Makes 1 cake
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups peeled, cored, and
sliced apples
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter,
at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
F. Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch-
square baking dish.
2. Sift together the flour, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, baking powder,
baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Finely chop half the apples; set aside the other half.
4. Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until very light and fluffy,
3 to
5 minutes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the
sides and bottom of the bowl to combine the ingredients thoroughly.
6. Add the chopped apples and sour cream, and stir until combined.
7. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients.
8. Add the sliced apples and fold them into the batter gently, just until
they
are coated with the batter; take care not to break the slices.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
10. Stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon,
and
sprinkle the mixture evenly over the surface of the batter.
11. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a cake
tester
comes out clean and the edges shrink from the sides of the pan.
Preparation Notes: This
coffee cake freezes well for up to 3 months. It can be
baked in a foil cake
pan, cooled, wrapped tightly, and sealed. To serve, thaw
the cake at room
temperature for an hour, then warm gently in a 250-degree
F oven, unwrapped,
for about 15 minutes.
American Bounty, Part 1
American Bounty, Part 2
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