Sometimes the most basic recipes are the best. They allow natural flavor to shine. That is the case with this simply wonderful pear crisp. Juicy ripe pears give us such a burst of bright flavor, accompanied by a lightly sweet crisp topping and a spoonful of fluffy whipped cream.
January is a time when good fruit can be hard to come by. But pears are perfect for this time of year. They are bountiful at the grocery store right now, and when baked, they deliver such a fresh, sweetness, especially when baked with cinnamon and brown sugar.
I have made countless apple crisps in my time, but pear crisp is somewhat new to me. And really, I don’t know why I have not made it sooner. It is my new favorite way to eat pears. I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, called Savor, by Ilona Oppeheim. I omitted the walnuts for my recipe, mainly so my sweet son would enjoy this crisp, though I think they would be great in it myself. But it is great without the nuts too, especially with a dollop of homemade whipped cream!
Sunny days are hard to come by in a Michigan January as well, and it looks like the sun has just come out here for awhile. We will take what we can get, and I will be getting outside here as soon as I can! We had a sunny day last Sunday, and were able to get out on the lake near our house before the weather warmed up just enough to thaw the ice. My husband and his friend ice fished while my daughter and I had a few minutes before sunset to walk down to the lake and say hello. It was so peaceful to be out on the ice at sunset.
Food can be a great comfort at all times of the year. In the middle of the winter, when it is often cold and gray outside, and dark in the mornings and evenings, warm food can definitely lift the spirits. This pear crisp puts a smile on my face, and my family loves it as well. And it is so very easy to make, which is an added bonus! Be well and stay warm! I will be sharing this recipe over at Angie’s weekly link party, Fiesta Friday!
Simply Wonderful Pear Crisp
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup of all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1/4 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup or one half stick) of unsalted butter, plus a bit more for greasing the baking pan
- 4 ripe pears (or 6 pears if they are small), peeled, cored, and diced
- whipped cream (optional)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 inch baking dish. (You can also use four 4-inch ramekins if you wish.)
In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. With a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture forms large crumbs.
Place the diced pears in the baking pan in a single layer. Sprinkle the flour mixture evenly over the pears.
Bake in your 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and fruit is soft. Serve warm with a spoonful of whipped cream on top, if desired. Enjoy!
I have been a fan of instant noodle bowls for a long time. Like many of us, I relied on instant ramen noodle packages when I was just out of college and living on my own. I loved the salty, tangy taste and they filled me up for just around a dollar a meal! I quickly got more interested in my health and whole foods, so I had to let the instant ramen meals go. But in a pinch, when I am in a rush or when I am craving a quick umami taste, I will still buy an instant noodle bowl package. So when I saw this mason jar instant noodle bowl idea in one of my new cookbooks, Mad Genius Tips, by Justin Chapple and the Editors of Food and Wine, I was very excited. (That book is full of fun and great ideas, by the way, and I am excited to try more!)
The recipe below is loosely based on one I found in Mad Genius Tips, though I used tofu instead of chicken and changed a few other things around as well. Also, I found that pouring the soup into a bowl after it cooks in the mason jar makes it easier to eat, so that is why I call it a noodle bowl instead of a noodle cup.
I like to buy baked tofu because it is fairly firm and holds up well. Since the cooking time is only about five minutes, the noodles need to be either very thin noodles that are made to be cooked almost instantly, or noodles that have already been cooked. I have used both, and they both work well. I especially like using a type of Japanese noodles called Tomoshiraga Somen because they are almost as thin as thread, and cook really quickly. I have also used leftover cooked spaghetti or angel hair noodles, and they work too, if you are trying to use up your leftovers. If you have leftover cooked vegetables and want to add them, give it a try! Otherwise, quick-cooking vegetables like spinach, peas, or mushrooms work best.
I love all types of baked apple-cinnamon recipes, and this one is a bit different to me because the apple is stuffed with a filling inside of it instead of sliced and used as a filling. Because it’s a bit different, it makes a festive dessert or breakfast, especially served with some vanilla ice cream or drizzled with some maple syrup, or even caramel sauce. We had them for breakfast this morning straight up without any added toppings, and they were so good!
I added two new cookbooks to my collection over the holidays, and I adapted this recipe from one of them–Savor by Ilona Oppenheim. I love the photos in this cookbook, and the recipes are natural, beautiful, and seasonal. I made a few changes from the recipe in the book to fit the tastes of my family–but I am so grateful for the idea and the basic framework. This is a dessert/breakfast that is easy to make and comes together quite quickly, plus you can feel good about the wholesome ingredients.
The holiday season is over now, and it is time to get back to work, time for the kids to go back to school and indoor soccer, and hopefully time for me to put some positive new intentions and habits into practice in my little corner of the world. We spent a few days up in northern Michigan over the New Year, and it was so refreshing and invigorating to be up in that cold, clean air!
