One For You, One For Me Pear Apple Crisps

Dear Devon,

The best pear I ever ate was in Italy. It weighed over a kilo and was about a foot long. I've never had one quite as good. I seldom eat pears. It's not that I don't like them. In fact, it's the exact opposite, I love them. But I've been disappointed by the mealy, tasteless ones so often that I don't eat them anymore. So when a friend told me about the wonderful pear he ate at lunch, I had some reservations. I decided to go to the exact same store and buy a pear to see for myself. What can I say? He was right. The juice running down my chin was a surefire indication that this was not any old pear. Since that afternoon, I've had pears on the mind. My pear apple crisp is the product of these daydreams.

Though the pears were delicious on their own, I added apples, to give the dessert some interesting texture and a variety of flavors. I am using Golden Delicious for its subtle sweetness and sustained crunchiness even after baking. I spoon the prepared fruit into four 5-inch white fluted ramekins. I like the idea of serving each guest their own pear apple crisp. But, later discovered that the portions were a bit hefty. His and Hers became a 2 for 1 deal. No matter, the remaining desserts will store nicely in the fridge for a quick dessert some other night this week.

I am using a relatively basic crumb topping: butter, flour, brown sugar, rolled oats. Two noticeable changes include a dash of cayenne pepper for a spicy surprise and a hefty 1/2 tsp of salt. Desserts need a bit of savory to calm the sweet. The natural sweetness of the fruits and the spicy cayenne stand up to the extra salt. If you are adverse to over-salted food, reduce to a 1/4 tsp of salt.
Pear Apple Crisp

3 Golden Delicious Apples
3 Bosch Pears
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Topping
4 oz cold butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter ramekins or large ceramic pan. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Set aside.

For the filling: Fill a large bowl with ice cubes, water, and lemon juice. Peel, core, and slice apples and pears. Place sliced fruit into lemon water to prevent oxidation. Remove fruit from acidic water. Put fruit into a large bowl, sprinkle with sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Toss until all the fruit is coated. Divide into the ceramic containers or pour into large baking dish. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Set aside while you prepare the topping.

For the topping: Place flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into cubes. With your fingers, crumble the butter into the flour mixture. Continue to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture forms clumps the size of small peas. This can be easily done with a stand mixer. I don't have one, too heavy and no storage space. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit. Don't push down.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until topping is browned and filling is bubbling. It goes nicely with ice cream.

Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week covered in plastic wrap. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through 10 - 15 minutes.