Harvest Pear Crumble

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

As you may have gathered, I am crushing on pears these days. Along with apples, pears are such a wonderful prelude to the arrival of Fall.  While I patiently wait for the cool crisp air, the leaves turning vibrant colors of amber, gold, and burgundy, and all things pumpkin spice, I have been experimenting with pears in the kitchen.

Never be afraid to try something new.

As much as I love pears, I recently realized, I had never tried baking with them. Well, let me tell you… I’m not sure why I waited so long! I am now obsessed with the delicious flavor pears give to baked goods. Today, I am sharing my favorite pear recipe that I have created so far, Harvest Pear Crumble. I served it in sweet little individual mini bakers, but you can also make it in an 8X8 baking dish.

I believe that roasting the pears with some butter and Star of Anise before assembling the crumble is what elevated the flavor of this dessert tremendously. The caramelized sugar from roasting the pears, the salt in the butter, and the spice from the Star of Anise married together beautifully to make this dessert a sweet and savory treat that is virtually irresistible. Roasting the pears also softened them just enough so that when they baked in the oven with the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, the texture was perfection! 

Layer upon layer, it just keeps getting better.

The savory pears sit atop a buttery shortbread almond crust and are topped with a mouthwatering crumble. Altogether each of these layers makes my Harvest Pear Crumble the perfect way to send off Summer and celebrate the arrival of Fall. Serve it with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream and if you’re feeling especially indulgent, you can drizzle some caramel on top.

Sidenote: It also makes your kitchen smell divine! I hope you and yours love my Harvest Pear Crumble as much as we do on the farm.

Now more than ever, I am ready for Fall!!

If you’re looking for more recipes to celebrate the arrival of Fall, try my Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup.

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Harvest Pear Crumble

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

As much as I love pears, I realized, I had never tried baking with them. Well, let me tell you... I'm not sure why I waited so long!

I believe that roasting the pears for my Harvest Pear Crumble with some butter and Star of Anise before assembling it is what elevated the flavor of this dessert tremendously. The caramelized sugar from the pears, the salt in the butter, and the spice from the Star of Anise married together beautifully to make this dessert a sweet and savory treat that is virtually irresistible.

The savory pears sit atop a buttery shortbread almond crust and are topped with a mouthwatering crumble. Altogether each of these layers makes my Harvest Pear Crumble the perfect way to send off Summer and celebrate the arrival of Fall. It also makes your kitchen smell divine!

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Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, finely chopped

Pear Filling

• 6-8 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and quartered
• 1 Tablespoon butter, softened  
• 1 Star of Anise
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg

Topping

• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Serving Suggestions

• Vanilla bean ice cream
• Homemade or store-bought caramel sauce

Instructions

Shortbread Crust

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, and almonds.
3. Lightly butter 4-6 individual 8-ounce bakers. Add some of the crust mixture in each dish so that when pressed down firmly, the crust is about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Place bakers on a cookie sheet and bake crust for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Turn the oven temperature up to 400 degrees.
5. While the crust is baking, prepare pears.

Pear Filling

1. Butter the bottom of a Dutch oven. Add Star of Anise. Place the pears in the Dutch Oven and bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees, turning once halfway through cook time.
2. Remove pears from oven and let cool. Turn oven back down to 325 degrees.
3. Once cooled, dice the pears and add sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
4. Spoon equal amounts of pear filling into each baking dish on top of the shortbread crust.
5. While pears are baking, prepare the topping.

Topping

1. In a medium bowl, mix together butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, almonds, oats, and salt. The mixture should be crumbly, not smooth.
2. Sprinkle a generous amount of topping on each serving.
3. Bake in the oven at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes until topping is golden brown.

Notes

Serve with vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.