Autumn Apple & Pear Crisp

“Gobble! Gobble!” goes my stomach, filled with the gargantuan turkey from last night.

BenGusto wishes everyone a nice Thanksgiving weekend! For the special occasion, a BenGusto original recipe for the autumn weather is in order.

Autumn colors to a chef
Autumn colors to a chef

Yesterday, I spent all day cooking up a delightful Thanksgiving meal (I’m sure this is pretty common on Thanksgiving). One of the hits of the night was my apple and bosc pear crisp that I made with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. It was definitely the best crisp many at the dinner had ever had, and it packed all the beauty and color of the autumn season in one dish.

My brother and his college beard came home for thanksgiving.
My brother and his college beard came home for Thanksgiving to help me out with the crisp. I think he mostly just ate it though. 

 

Bosc pears are incredible. First of all, they are brown, which makes these pears automatically better than normal green pears. When they’re ripe, they are so soft, sweet, and juicy. Two ripe bosc pears in this crisp made a big difference. If you eat a pear, eat it bosc.

I also put some raspberries in the crisp, which was a nice touch. A great tip I learned from the Barefoot Contessa was to add the juice of a lemon and an orange, as well as the zest of the two fruits. Man oh man! That gave a great kick of flavor.

I did experience some sweet failure in the making of this crisp. I tried to roast the leftover apple peels in brown sugar and leftover orange-lemon juice, hoping to make a nice little garnish for the dessert. It was too sweet and too gross. Next time, I’ll try roasting it without any liquid, or something.

It was way too sweet, and not to mention pretty bad looking.
It was way too sweet, and not to mention pretty bad looking.

Before you read this recipe and run off to the kitchen to start peeling the pears (I hope), I would like to say what “we” here at BenGusto are thankful for this year (When I say we, I really mean just me).

I am thankful for you, my friends. Thank you all, and happy Thanksgiving!

– Ben “Gusto” Gaiarin

 

Autumn Apple & Pear Crisp with Raspberry 

  • 4 large, red Apples (not tart)
  • 2 large Bosc Pears
  • 1/4 cup Raspberries
  • 1 large Orange
  • 1/2 a Lemon
  • 1 tbsp. Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup dark Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Grand Marnier (optional)

For the crumble topping:

  •  3/4 cup Oats
  • 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1 stick Cold Butter (8 tbsp.)
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel the apples and pears.

Peeling the apple.
Peeling the apple.
As you can see, I like these shots.
As you can see, I like these shots.
Side by side. They're bros.
Side by side. They’re bros.

 

 

Dice the apples and pears into thin chunks. Place them in a large bowl.

Slice and dice time
Slice and dice time

Using a cheese grater, grate the orange zest and add the zest to the apple-pear mixture.

Grate the lemon zest and add it to the bowl as well.

Squeeze the juice of one orange over the apples and pears. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the apples and pears as well.

Lemon and orange. Use only half the lemon.
Lemon and orange. Use only half the lemon.

Add all the spices, sugars, and grand marnier to the bowl and mix well.

Brown sugar
Brown sugar
My brother snapped a photo of me mixing.
My brother snapped a photo of me mixing.

 

Pour the apple and pear into a square pan. Lay the raspberries over the apple and pear. Set aside.

Spread the raspberries atop the apple and pear.
Spread the raspberries atop the apple and pear.

Crumble Topping:

Mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl.

The dry ingredients for the crumble.
The dry ingredients for the crumble.

Dice the refrigerated butter into small chunks. Throw it in with the dry ingredients.

I like this.
I like this.

Butter Tower

You can tell that I also like these butter shots.
You can tell that I also like these butter shots.

 

In an electric mixer fitted with a mixing paddle, beat the butter and vanilla extract into the dry mixture until a crumble (like granola bunches) is formed.

Make sure your crumble sticks like this. If it doesn't, then you need more butter.
Make sure your crumble sticks like this. If it doesn’t, then you need more butter.

Oat Crumble Topping

 

Spread the crumble topping over the fruit.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until crumble is golden brown and apple juices are oozing.

Serve warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. MMmmmmm.. sounds so good!

Apple-Pear Crisp

 

243 responses on “Autumn Apple & Pear Crisp

  1. Ben, This looks REALLY good! The perfect dessert for this time of the year! No wonder everyone enjoyed it so much.

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