Old Fashioned Pear Crumble (no oats)
An old-fashioned pear bake that deserves a spot on your Fall baking list. The crumble topping is quick to assemble with melted butter: just stir, sprinkle, and bake until golden and bubbly. And can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. It's such a simple recipe that you can have it on the table in 1 hour.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
Pear layer:
- 4 pounds fresh pears
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar you can use up to double the amount if you like sweeter desserts
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon for other spices, see Notes below
- pinch of ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumble topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
For the spiced pears:
- Peel, core and slice 4 pounds fresh pears into medium slices. Transfer to an 8x11-inch ceramic or glass dish.
- Drizzle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and sprinkle with ¼ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground ginger. Stir lightly to mix.
- In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in ¼ cup water with ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and lump-free. Drizzle over the spiced pears. Stir lightly again and reserve.
Make the streusel topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, pinch of salt, ⅓ cup sugar, and ⅓ cup light brown sugar.
- Add ½ cup unsalted butter, melted, to the dry ingredients and stir it with a fork or spoon into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. It should be clumpy. Cover and refrigerate if not making right away.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Assemble the dessert:
- Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the pears in the baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the pear filling is bubbling.
- Let the pear crumble cool slightly before serving. Serve warm, on its own or with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, whipped cream, or custard.
- Store leftovers in the fridge, covered or in an airtight container.
Notes
Key takeaways: Success with this fruit crumble is about balancing the sweetness and amount of syrup. No matter what pear variety you use, they're usually sweet (much more than apples), so this dessert doesn't need as much sugar. Adjust accordingly. Uniform cutting ensures even baking, while warm (not hot) melted butter creates the perfect topping. Ratios matter, so use the suggested dish sizes.
Crunchier topping: add nuts, about ½ cup of coarsely chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts.
