Ginger-Spice Pear Crisp

By vealam

Ingredients

• 3 cups sliced pears (about 6 medium)
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon March Winter Spice Blend*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
• dash of salt

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from bijouxs.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Peel, core and slice the pears. Place each pear as it is sliced in a large shallow mixing bowl tossing with lemon juice and the rind to prevent the pears from discoloring as you work. When all the pears are sliced, add the fresh ginger. Mix together the sugar, spice blend and salt, add to the pears, tossing to coat evenly.

To make the topping, place the flour, brown sugar and dash of salt in the work bowl of a food processor, pulse a few times to mix the ingredients. Add the cubed chilled butter, pulsing until the ingredients create a crumbly mixture – do not over process. You may also make the topping by hand, mixing the butter into the sugar-flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork.

Place the pears in the baking dish, including all the juice that the pears have released. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pears. Bake in a 350° oven for about 45 minutes, or until the pears are tender and the topping is a deep, golden brown.

Serve warm, with freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

COOK'S NOTES: I'm sorry to report that March Pantry is no longer stocking their Winter Spice Blend. In descending order, the blend contains cinnamon, allspice, anise seed, black pepper and nutmeg. To replicate, I might begin with a teaspoon of cinnamon, adding a dash of each spice until you create a blend to your liking. Grind the anise seed in a spice grinder before beginning the blend.