NuM NuM

Lobster and I had dinner with my two favorite peeps and I made this pear crisp for dessert. Since I'm on a healthy eating kick, this recipe comes from the Cooking Light website and is lower in calories then most crisp recipes. Trust me, if no one told you this recipe was "light" you would never know. All the extra butter and sugar was not missed and it just makes me realize how much more added fat all the other recipes have. From now on I'll definitely be using this recipe and substituting it with different fruit. The crisp topping had the perfect balance of crunch and sweetness and was the perfect contrast to the soft pears. This combo was great eaten with vanilla ice cream. The piping hot pear crisp and the cold slightly melted ice cream made for the perfect ending to a fabulous meal. Light dessert or not, everyone cleaned their bowls.


Pear Crisp
Recipe and photo from Cooking Light
8 servings = 285 calories per servings


Ingredients

* 6 cups Anjou or Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 3 pounds)
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
* 1/3 cup regular oats
* 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine pears and lemon juice in a 2-quart baking dish; toss gently to coat. Combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; stir with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pear mixture; toss well to coat.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add chilled butter; pulse 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. (I did not use a food processor and and broke up the butter with my hands and mixed it with the sugar) Add oats and walnuts; pulse 2 times. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over pear mixture.

Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until pears are tender and topping is golden brown. Cool 20 minutes on a wire rack; serve warm or at room temperature.

I'd always heard about strawberry rhubarb desserts but never had the opportunity to try one until last week. After my first bite I quickly became a fan of rhubarb and knew I wanted to re-create it at home. Fridays are always a great night to make desserts since lobster and I can relax and this was a no fuss dessert that came together fast. It came together fast and it was eaten very fast by moi b/c it was delicious! The taste reminded me very much of the flavors of a lemon tart. Sweet and tart all at the same time in one bite. I think this dessert is even better then a lemon tart because you get to eat it with ice cream. The cobbler is piping hot when it comes out of the oven and you take a bite along with the cold ice cream and it's just heavenly....num! My mouth is salivating just thinking about it. If you like sweet and tart desserts then I would definitely give this a try. It's also the perfect dessert to entertain with since you can make it before guests arrive and pop it in the oven right when you sit down to eat.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble
Adapted from here
Yields 6 to 8 servings.

For the topping:

1 1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons Demerara sugar (or turbinado sugar aka Sugar in the Raw)

Zest of one lemon

1/4 pound (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted –

For the filling:

1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 quart (4 cups) strawberries plus a few extras, hulled, quartered

Juice of one lemon

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Prepare topping: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugars and lemon zest and add the melted butter. Mix until small and large clumps form. Refrigerate until needed.
2. Prepare filling: Toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. (I used an oval dish)
3. Remove topping from refrigerator and cover fruit thickly and evenly with topping. Place pie plate on a (foil-lined, if you really want to think ahead) baking sheet, and bake until crumble topping is golden brown in places and fruit is bubbling beneath, about 40 to 50 minutes.