By Jack's garden operation grows more ambitious every year. The greenhouse, the market sales, the Farm Fund jar that now holds over three hundred dollars. He's 13 and he farms the way some kids play video games — obsessively, joyfully, with the deep understanding that this is not a hobby but a vocation wearing a hobby's clothes.
I made chicken and dumplings this week — the fall version, the one that fills the kitchen with the smell that means this time of year, this stage of life, this specific Tuesday when the stove is warm and the family is fed and the feeding is the point. Kevin ate seconds. The man always eats seconds. The eating is the approval and the approval is the marriage.
The trees along the highway are turning — maples red, oaks gold, the Bradford pears doing their useless purple thing. Iowa falls are short and violent and beautiful. The kitchen shifts to slow mode: crockpots, Dutch ovens, the oven at 375 from September through April. The fall cooking is the cooking of a woman settling in for the long season.
The chicken and dumplings were already done, the kitchen still warm from the Dutch oven, and I needed something to finish the meal the way fall deserves to be finished — slowly, sweetly, without any fuss. The Bradford pears along the highway were putting on their useless purple show, but the pears in the fruit bowl on the counter were doing something far more useful. This caramel pear crisp is the dessert version of settling in: it asks almost nothing of you and gives everything back.
Divine Caramel Pear Crisp
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 6 medium ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 6 cups)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade), plus more for drizzling
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish or a deep 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- Prepare the pear filling. In a large bowl, toss the sliced pears with the granulated sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until well coated. Spread the pears evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- Add caramel. Drizzle 1/2 cup of caramel sauce over the pear layer, spreading it gently with a spoon.
- Make the crisp topping. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and work them into the dry ingredients with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse, clumpy crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Top and bake. Scatter the oat topping evenly over the pear and caramel layer. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is deep golden brown and the pear filling is bubbling around the edges.
- Rest and serve. Let the crisp rest for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with additional warm caramel sauce and serve with vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 385 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 65g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 140mg