Ahhh, fall comfort food! I love baked pears and I love an oatmeal rich crisp topping, so I was pleased to cut this recipe from a Cooking Light magazine several years ago. I’ve fooled with it quite a bit, more spices, more oatmeal, more pears 😀 The quantities here fit nicely into a 8-9″ square baking pan. If you have a lot more pears, just up the quantities by by 50% and bake in a 9×13″ pan.

Ummm, true confession time: we like this best at room temperature, for breakfast 🙂

Hey! It’s oatmeal! With fruit!

A few years ago, I asked my son to type the recipe out for me, with my changes. He did, but he embellished it a bit, and I have retyped his version here. He’s going to crawl into a cave and hibernate when he finds out his mom published this on her blog. Oooooohhh, the embarrassment of it all! Don’t anyone tell him about this, puleeeeease!

My Lovely Mom’s Pear Crisp

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups sliced ripe pears—5 or 6 lbs.
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• A tiny bit of hard work
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• A whole bunch of JOY
• 1/3 cup flour
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons chilled butter
• 2/3 cup old fashioned oats
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (if you must)
• A pinch of happiness

DIRECTIONS

1. Look around you. Take in your surroundings and be thankful. Feel wonderful about yourself and those around you. {Laugh at your son. He’s so FUNNY!} Read the recipe and do what it says 🙂
2. Preheat oven to 375°.
3. Combine peeled and sliced pears with the lemon juice, toss gently to coat and then place in baking dish.
4. In another bowl combine sugar, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Stir to combine.  Pour mixture over over pears and mix lightly.
5. Do one thing, every day, that you have never done before.
6. In the same bowl (because it’s empty now and who wants to wash another dish?) combine flour, brown sugar, another ½ teaspoon cinnamon and another ¼ teaspoon nutmeg.
7. Cut in 3 tablespoon cold butter or grate the butter into the flour mixture with a grater (that’s what my mom does) and combine until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs.
8. Stir in oats and optional nuts, and sprinkle mixture evenly over pear mixture in the baking pan.
9. Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until pears are tender and topping is golden brown.
10. Cool at least 20 minutes before eating (hot pears in melted sugar bu-u-u-rn).
11. Smile. You’re all done!

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today, hope you enjoy your Pear Crisp!