Three Fall Fruit Flavors Combined in One Easy Dessert
This crisp combines many of our favorite fall fruit – sweet apples, juicy pears and tart cranberries, all in one dish. The advantage of a crisp are many – it feeds a crowd and you can even make the topping up to 1 month ahead and store in the freezer in a zip-top bag (see TIPS below). It hardly takes up any room! If you have a large enough microwave-safe bowl, you can also make the topping in one bowl for easy clean up. This crisp is a nice addition to your Thanksgiving table as it brings additional textures beyond most pies. Note that the topping is very sweet, while we keep the filling a bit tart with the fresh cranberries for balance. The image below was taken on the set of The Better Show. You can watch me make this dish live on their site. Watch for our new weekly Bakepedia segment; check your local listings.
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
- 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cup rolled oats (not quick or instant)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds ripe pears (about 4 or 5), such as Anjou or Bartlett
- 2 pounds Cortland Apples (about 6)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 3-quart shallow baking dish with nonstick spray (a 13x9-inch pan works but if you are placing this on a buffet, use a decorative ceramic baking dish). Also line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- For the Topping: Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl, or in saucepan. Melt butter. If you have melted the butter in the microwave, simply whisk in the sugar, then stir in the flour, cinnamon and salt. If you have melted it in a saucepan, pour the butter into a mixing bowl and proceed (the pan will most likely have too much residual heat).
- For the Filling: Peel and core the apples and pears and cut into approximately 1-inch chunks (some variation is fine). Toss in a bowl with the cranberries, sugar and lemon juice and scrape into prepared pan. Scatter topping evenly over fruit. Place prepared plate on baking sheet; this will catch boil-overs.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling around edges. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. It may be served at room temperature, or re-warmed after cooling. Best eaten the day it is made.
Bakepedia Tips
- The topping can be made ahead and sealed in a zip top freezer bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Simply remove from freezer while you are preheating oven and preparing filling.
- For a more rustic approach, you may leave the skins on the apples and pears.
No comments yet.