Spiced Pear Crisp
4 colorSTHE WHY BEHIND THIS RECIPE
This recipe was originally featured in a 2024 Holiday Menu collaboration with my dear friend and professional retreat chef Ali Rose. The full PDF Holiday menu can be found here.
A fruit crisp or cobbler is an amazing dessert because they showcase seasonal produce beautifully and are a breeze to prepare. Plus, they can be made ahead of time and are naturally low in sugar, gluten-free, and even vegan-friendly if you use plant-based butter. No need to stress over multiple desserts to cater to everyone’s dietary needs for a holiday gathering!
You can bake this dessert in a large pan for a generous sharing experience or in individual ramekins for a classy touch. While I am a big fan of pears, feel free to swap in apples, persimmons, or any other fruits you love.
Yields: 6-8 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED
TOOLS
Measuring cups/spoons
Small saucepan for melting butter
Large baking dish or individual oven-safe ramekins
INGREDIENTS
4-5 ripe assorted pears
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tbsp freshly ground ginger
4 tbsp unsalted grass-fed butter ( I use Kerrygold melted and browned in a pan)
1 1/4 cup finely ground almond flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
2 tbsp maple syrup (Sonja here - I find I can tolerate a little maple syrup in desserts without the blood sugar spike, but you could also use an allulose or monkfruit maple syrup like this one)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
A handful of sliced almonds or chopped pecans raw and unsalted
A few pinches of kosher salt
HOW TO DO IT
Make the filling:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Remove the seeds and core, cut pears into medium dice (while I do really enjoy a nice thinly sliced pear in a crumble, it doesn’t translate as well to individual ramekin servings. So prep your pears as you like, but keep in mind the vessel that they’re going into)
Stir all ingredients for pear filling in a bowl until well combined.
Spread pear mixture in a large baking dish or place an even amount in each ramekin.
Make the crumble:
Place butter in a small saucepan on medium-low heat.
Brown the butter until melted and golden brown, but stir frequently so it doesn’t burn! They should take about 7 to 10 minutes, so be patient. Turn off the burner and set the butter.
Place all other ingredients (almond flour, almonds or pecans, spices, salt, maple) in a mixing bowl and mix well. Pour in browned butter and continue to mix well. It should form a wet, dough-like consistency. If it is too dry, add a bit more melted butter. If it is too wet, add a teeny bit more almond flour. Taste and adjust spices/salt/maple syrup to your liking.
Place an even amount of brown butter crumble on top of each ramekin. Use your hands to spread it out over the top as it might be sticky.
Place ramekins in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pears are fully cooked and soft and the topping is golden brown.
Serve warm or room temp. You can also zhuzh it up with a little bit of Greek yogurt on the side.
SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS
Use any fruit! You can use pretty much any other seasonal fruit in place of the pears. Apples, persimmons, and plums are all good options. You can substitute frozen fruit, but you may need to add a little additional arrowroot to keep it from being too liquidy.
Cardamon swap: If cardamom is not your favorite flavor, you can also substitute in any other warm spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are all great options or additions. You can even get a little crazy with a spice blend like a pumpkin pie mix or a chai masala.
Stove top version: A fun little aside…When I prepared this with Ali we had a long day in the kitchen, preparing and shooting all of the recipes for this holiday guide so by the time we got around to dessert, we were losing our light. So Ali whipped up a quick stovetop version of this crumble so we could have something to at least take some photos of and get it into the newsletter. Randomly enough, it ended up being super quick and pretty delicious. So if your ovens are too full for a crumble or you just wanna try something a little different, here is how we transformed the baked recipe into a quick stove, top version:
Sauté your pears in an additional tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan, along with the maple syrup and spices. After about 5 to 7 minutes, when the pears start to become tender, add in the arrowroot and sauté for an additional minute or two or until the filling begins to thicken.
Remove your filling from the heat, and spread evenly in a large baking dish, or portion out into individual ramekins.
Give your sauté pan a quick rinse, and return to the stove top over medium heat.
Melt your 4 tablespoons of butter and sauté until browned, same as the recipe above.
Once your butter is browned, add in your flour, spices, and chopped pecans or almonds. Sauté over medium heat until the flour mixture starts to smell toasty and turn light brown.
Increase the heat to medium high and toast the topping for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until it becomes dark brown and crisp in places
To finish, sprinkle your toasted topping evenly over your filling in a large baking sheet, or divide into portions and sprinkle evenly amongst your individual ramekins. Top with additional chopped pecans or almonds, and flaky sea salt.
Nutritional Info
Per serving makes 6-8 servings
Calories: 288
Carbohydrates: 24g
Fiber: 5g
Net carbs: 19g
Protein: 6g
Fat: 20g
Sodium: 102mg
Sugar: 13g
