Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, Easy

Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, Easy

Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, Easy

Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp with Maple Yogurt and Pomegranate Seeds . . . It’s What’s for Dessert  

Consider a crisp and tender pear dessert for your holiday table. Easily prepared Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp comes together in 15 minutes. Then bakes unattended for about 40. With most holiday meals requiring organization Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, Easyand concentration, what a treat to have a light and lovely fruit dessert with so little effort.

Presentation

Roasting pear halves filled with Maple Pecan Crisp Topping sophisticates the traditional fruit crisp. I love fruit crisps and crumbles and offer a number of recipes for them. However, this recipe, inspired by one from USA Pears, upgrades the wow factor with its tempting presentation, varied textures and complex taste.

Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp Perfect for the Holiday Table Each roasted pear half, filled with (gluten-free) golden brown, crisp and chunky Maple Pecan topping, sits on a swirl of maple syrup flavored yogurt. The whole is then garnished with a sprinkling of also in season, ruby red pomegranate seeds (arils). The pomegranate seeds add both luscious color and complex flavor.

Choosing and ripening your pears

Choosing pears is easy. Look for firm, unblemished pears. Great choices are deep golden, boldly flavored Bosc pears, sweet and juicy red or green Bartletts and even juicier bell-shaped D’Anjou pears.

Timing

“There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat.”    Ralph Waldo Emerson

Perhaps the most difficult part of cooking with pears is timing: waiting for them to be slightly underripe to just ripe by the day you want to roast them. This can be tricky. I’ve left pears on the kitchen counter for ten days before they began to soften at their stem end. Other times, they were ready in less than a week.

Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, EasyTo test a pear for ripeness: use your thumb to gently press the pear near its stem. A ripe pear gives slightly to the pressure. Once it does, enjoy the pear immediately or store the pear in the refrigerator for up to a few days until you’re ready to roast.

A quick trick

Try the paper-bag trick to speed up the ripening process. Place your pears in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana and/or an apple. Both bananas and apples give off ethylene gas, a fruit ripening chemical. Close the bag and store it at room temperature. Be sure to check the pears at least every other day.

Caution: pears ripen from the inside out. Store them too long and they’ll become soft. discolored and mushy at their core. Unusable, actually, and disappointing.

Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, Easy

Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp

Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, EasyUpdated and a bit sophisticated, Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp is even easier to prepare than a traditional fruit crisp. The variation in baking time depends upon the ripeness of your pears. And the amount of topping you’ll need, depends upon their size. (Extra topping can be frozen or baked on its own as a crispy addition to your morning yogurt.)
Thank you, USA Pears for inspiring this recipe. Gluten-free and easily made dairy-free and vegan as well.

Makes 4 servings                              Printer-Friendly Recipe
Active time:  15 minutes
Total time:  about one hour

Ingredients

3 tablespoons pecan halves (or walnuts)
3 tablespoons brown rice flour
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1-ounce butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup rolled oats
2 firm, slightly underripe to just ripe pears
½ cup plain, whole milk yogurt
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (arils)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Crisp Topping: Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, Easy Lightly toast the pecan halves for 7 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
  2. Pulse together the flour, maple syrup and spices in a food processor until just mixed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the processor bowl with a spatula. Add the cold butter and pulse until it becomes the size of peas and the mixture begins to stick together.
  3. Add the oats and pecans. Use the pulse button to roughly chop them. Though the topping will begin to stick together, keep it quite chunky.Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, Easy
  4. Cut each of the pears in half from stem to flower end. Use the tip of a paring knife to completely remove the stem and core.
  5. Place the pear halves cut side up in a baking dish. Fill the core and much of the top of each pear with the Crisp Topping.
  6. Bake the pears on the middle shelf at 375 degrees for about 35-45 minutes. Or until the topping has browned and the pear halves are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife. Note: if the pear halves are tender before the topping has browned, Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, Easyplace the pears under the broiler on high for a minute or so.
  7. Prepare the Maple Yogurt while the pears are roasting: in a small bowl, use a fork or a whisk to combine the plain yogurt with the maple syrup. Set aside.
  8. Serve each pear half on a large swirl of Maple Yogurt. Then, for both color and taste, garnish each Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.

Printer-Friendly Recipe.

2 thoughts on “Roasted Pear Maple Pecan Crisp – Updated, Sophisticated, Easy”

  1. When I saw this recipe, I knew it was perfect for Christmas Eve dinner. I wish I would have recorded the praise as everyone was loving it – a huge hit! Thanks Janice for this delightful recipe, simple, delicious, healthy and filled with many textures and wonderful tastes. A perfect dessert!

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