She doesn’t believe it herself, but my Aunt Maryellen is a wonderful cook and baker.
So many of her dishes are forever etched in my brain and stir up memories of holidays and family gathering. Her most-requested and (highly anticipated!) item is undoubtedly her Italian Calzones. (Note to self: share that recipe with you, stat!) Every Christmas Eve, my brothers and I would wait for her to arrive with these calzones and try to sneak a cold bite before they made their way to the oven. In addition to her calzones, she brings her adored fudge to Christmas Eve.
Other family favorites of hers include her glazed carrots, her date and nut bread, and Lloyd’s personal favorite…. a blueberry pear crisp.
Although he doesn’t really discriminate against any sweet, Lloyd is a sucker for any all “fall” desserts. Cinnamon rolls. Banana bread. McDonald’s Apple Pie. Cornbread. Muffins that Taste Like Doughnuts. Apple Crisp. He loves them all. So when I was brainstorming dessert ideas for company, he gladly gave me his two cents.
“Make some sort of apple crisp or something. Or, that blueberry thing your aunt makes.”
Done!
I was out of blueberries, but happened to have a handful of pears at my disposal. It took no time at all (and even better, no trip to the grocery store!) to pull this crisp together. Luckily, it was a hit and proved to be the perfect autumnal dessert!
Pear Crisp
From The Pioneer Woman
Prep Time: 15 Minutes, Cook Time: 30-40 Minutes
Yields 8 servings
Ingredients
For the Filling
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5 large pears, peeled and diced
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2/3 C sugar
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1/4 tsp salt
For the Topping
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1-1/2 C flour
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1/3 C sugar
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1/3 C packed brown sugar
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1/2 tsp cinnamon
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1/2 C pecans, finely chopped
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1 stick butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Peel and dice pears. In a large bowl, toss with sugar and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Add melted butter to fry ingredients, mixing well until combined.
- Pour pears into a prepared baking dish; cover with crumb topping.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.
