Oh, the heavenly scent in the house when this Apple, Cranberry, and Pear Crisp is baking! You’ll want to hurry through the main course of dinner in anticipation of this tasty dessert!
This dessert is not difficult to make. The key to a really super tasty crisp that calls for apples is to use a blend of apple varieties. I find honeycrisps, cortlands, humes, and ginger gold varieties work really well. Using a blend of apples allows their flavours and textures to play off of each other. The honeycrisps and cortlands are sweet-tart, juicy apples. The ginger golds and humes are less tart. The cortlands and ginger golds hold their shapes particularly well when cooked so they don’t cook to mush and the apple chunks or slices are still visible in the cooked crisp, giving it a pleasing texture.
That said, it is not crucial to use several different varieties of apples in a crisp. Using only one or two varieties of firm-fleshed apples will yield good crisps, too.
I recommend Bosc pear for this crisp as it is a firm-fleshed pear and will hold its shape (versus becoming mushy) in the Apple, Cranberry, and Pear Crisp. Some pears, such as the Bartlett pear variety, for example, are too soft and, when cooked, will become mushy.
Either fresh or frozen whole cranberries can be used in this dessert. They give great flavor and their tartness plays off well with the more sweeter apples and pear.
I have listed two tablespoons chopped pecans as an optional add-in to the streusel ingredients. They do add a bit more crunchiness to the topping but the streusel topping is also fine without them.
Just like Apple Crisp, this dessert is best made and allowed to cool for 20-30 minutes to a comfortable eating temperature. This resting period allows the fruit base of the crisp to thicken a wee bit more and the true flavours of the fruit mixture to be appreciated when the crisp is still warm but not too hot to eat and fully enjoy.
This crisp freezes very well. I often make the crisps in individual ramekin dishes and freeze them, unbaked. Crisps can also be frozen after they are baked, then thawed and reheated in the microwave. However, I find there is some texture deterioration in the latter method.
To make this Apple, Cranberry, and Pear Crisp gluten-free, use gluten-free flour and gluten-free rolled oats and, of course, ensure that all other ingredients are gluten-free as well.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Apple, Cranberry, and Pear Crisp
Ingredients:
For Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
¼ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Pinch salt
1/3 cup cold butter
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 tsp finely grated orange rind
2 tbsp chopped pecans (optional)
For Apple Cranberry and Pear Base:
1½ lbs apples (e.g., Cortlands, Honeycrisps, Humes, Ginger Gold, individually or in any combination mixture)
1 – 6 oz Bosc pear
1 cup whole cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp orange juice
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1 tbsp finely grated orange rind
1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
Method:
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 1½-quart baking dish.
For Streusel Topping:
In medium-sized bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Using pastry blender, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in rolled oats, grated orange rind, and chopped pecans (if using). Cover mixture and place in refrigerator while preparing the fruit mixture.
For Apple, Cranberry, and Pear Base:
Peel, core, and cut apples into quarters. Slice each quarter into chunks or into slices about ¼”- ⅓” thick or so. Place in large bowl. Peel, core, and cut the pear into chunks or slices similar to the apples. Add the pear to the apples along with the cranberries. Sprinkle mixture with orange juice and toss to coat.
In separate bowl, combine sugars, spices, grated orange rind, and cornstarch. Mix well. Add to the fruit mixture and toss to coat.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over fruit.
Place baking pan on rimmed baking sheet (lined with tin foil for easy clean-up should fruit mixture bubble out).
Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until topping is crisp and golden tanned, apples are tender when knife-tested, and juices from the fruit mixture are bubbling up around the edges of the crisp topping. Remove from oven and let the crisp cool for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Serve plain or with a dollop of whipped cream or favourite vanilla ice cream.
Yield: Apx. 6 servings
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Apple, Cranberry, and Pear Crisp
Ingredients
For Streusel Topping:
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- Pinch salt
- 1/3 cup cold butter
- 2/3 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp finely grated orange rind
- 2 tbsp chopped pecans (optional)
For Apple Cranberry and Pear Base:
- 1½ lbs apples (e.g., Cortlands, Honeycrisps, Humes, Ginger Gold, individually or in any combination mixture)
- 1 – 6 oz Bosc pear
- 1 cup whole cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1 tbsp finely grated orange rind
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
-
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 1½-quart baking dish.
For Streusel Topping:
-
In medium-sized bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Using pastry blender, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in rolled oats, grated orange rind, and chopped pecans (if using). Cover mixture and place in refrigerator while preparing the fruit mixture.
For Apple, Cranberry, and Pear Base:
-
Peel, core, and cut apples into quarters. Slice each quarter into chunks or into slices about ¼”- ⅓” thick or so. Place in large bowl. Peel, core, and cut the pear into chunks or slices similar to the apples. Add the pear to the apples along with the cranberries. Sprinkle mixture with orange juice and toss to coat.
-
In separate bowl, combine sugars, spices, grated orange rind, and cornstarch. Mix well. Add to the fruit mixture and toss to coat.
-
Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
-
Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over fruit.
-
Place baking pan on rimmed baking sheet (lined with tin foil for easy clean-up should fruit mixture bubble out).
-
Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until topping is crisp and golden tanned, apples are tender when knife-tested, and juices from the fruit mixture are bubbling up around the edges of the crisp topping. Remove from oven and let the crisp cool for 20-30 minutes before serving.
-
Serve plain or with a dollop of whipped cream or favourite vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Apx. 6 servings
[Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]
You may also enjoy these other fruit crisp desserts from My Island Bistro Kitchen:
Old-fashioned Apple Crisp
Peach Blueberry Crisp
Rhubarb Crisp
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
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