Harvest Recipe Suggestion – Apple & Pear Crisp

Easy, Harvest-Themed Recipe for Fall Fruit!

Photo credit: Celebrating Sweets

Are you looking for a good way to use your locally picked apples and other fruit from this year’s harvest? (See our recent blog post, written by Melanie Hill, from the Community Fruit Rescue) Or, are you searching for that perfect and easy, fall-themed recipe? Look no further than this Food Network recipe, courtesy of Ina Garten!

This apple and pear crisp recipe has been a staple within my family for years, especially when the harvest season comes around! It is a great way to use fruit that is in-season for the fall, and makes your home and kitchen smell wonderful! The crisp topping is what makes this recipe special, giving it some crunch, and there’s no crust making it super easy to prepare. The recipe is especially delicious if served with vanilla ice cream.

My mother would always make this easy, baked fruit dessert for when we spend the Fall Holidays with our extended family, and now the cinnamon-flavored fruit and crisp topping are an instant reminder of the Fall season! You can make it ahead of time, and warm it up again when you’re ready to serve it.

Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• Level: Easy

• Prep Time: 30 min

• Cook Time: 55 min

• Total Time: 1 hr 25 min

• Yields: 8 servings

• This recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten and the Food Network. (To watch Ina make the recipe, click here)

Ingredients:

For the Filling:

• 2 pounds ripe Bosc pears (4 pears)

• 2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the Crisp Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

• 1/2 pound cold, unsalted butter, diced (2 sticks)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix the ingredients until the fruit is evenly coated, then pour into a 9in by 12in by 2in oval baking dish.

3) For the topping: Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

4) Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly.