Guest Banana: Cooking with Lane – Pear Crisp

(Editor’s Note: I asked my super-chef friend Lane to come up with some easy holiday recipes for those of us who aren’t so naturally talented in the culinary arts. Today she’s focusing on an dessert that’s not, LET ME REPEAT, not pie. I know, I was worried too. But I shouldn’t have been, this stuff is super-delicious.)

Pear Crisp
Makes 10 to 12 servings

During the holiday season, you see a lot of pies. And, pies are fine. I, however, am not a huge pie fan. I like crisps – a lot. Especially with ice cream.

Here, I’ve included a recipe for a pear crisp. It’s a great alternative to the usual apple version and would be a simple dessert to bring to a potluck or serve with a special dinner.

It’s also good to eat with a spoon right out of your fridge, but you didn’t hear that from me.

If you’re allergic to nuts, you can leave out the almonds. Just replace them with ¼ c. oats.

Filling:
1 ½ c. 100% pure apple cider (not from concentrate)
¾ c. dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
2 ½ lbs. pears, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges

Streusel:
¾ c. dark brown sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ c. flour
1 ¼ c. oatmeal (rolled or old fashioned)
¼ c. almond slivers
1 stick butter (room temperature)

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients with a whisk. Next, peel and slice the pears into wedges. Drop the sliced pears into the wet ingredients as you go, so that they won’t brown up. Pour this mixture in a 9×9 glass baking dish.

In another bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Slice the butter into tablespoon size pieces. Add them to the bowl. Use your fingers to combine. The mixture should start to resemble a coarse, crumb-like mixture. You should see buttery, pea-sized pieces of flour and oats throughout the bowl. Once combined, sprinkle the mixture on top of the pears.

Place the glass dish on a rimmed baking sheet. This way, if you’re crisp bubbles over, you won’t have burnt sugar in your oven. (Ed. Note: This is a total badass tip. I burn stuff over in my oven all the time…this will make my life so much easier.) Bake for an hour and 15 minutes. Remove when the pears are tender and the crust is golden.

(Ed. Note: She forgot the last step: INHALE! Seriously, so, so good. And just like that, Cooking with Lane is over! Wah, right? Now go forth, cook these easy dishes and take all the credit when people proclaim their awesomeness. Or you can give some to Lane…whatever. Thanks, Lane!!!)