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You are here: Home Ā» Food Preparation Ā» Recipes Ā» Desserts & Cookies Ā» Pear and Pumpkin Crisp

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Pear and Pumpkin Crisp

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A craving for the fall flavors of pear, pumpkin, and spices inspired this crisp. The filling is an unusual combination of sweet pears with chunks of tender pumpkin wrapped in a spicy maple syrup. | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

Autumn brings inspiration to so many of us. The crisp air, cooler temperatures, and colorful leaves have awakened the imaginations of writers and poets for centuries.

And then there are those of us who appreciate the four seasons like Trader Joe’s: ā€œWinter, Spring, Summer, and… Pumpkinā€.

I’ve always loved the Mother Goose rhyme, ā€œNose, nose, jolly red nose and who gave thee that jolly red nose? Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves and that gave me my jolly red nose!ā€

A craving for the fall flavors of pear, pumpkin, and spices inspired this crisp. The filling is an unusual combination of sweet pears with chunks of tender pumpkin wrapped in a spicy maple syrup. | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

I adore the spicy allure of the autumn season. A craving for the fall flavors of pear, pumpkin, and spices inspired this recipe. Cobblers, crisps, and pies have always been a favorite but I needed to find a gluten-free alternative. While at a local food summit, I tried an oatmeal topped cobbler that gave me the answer I needed for my dessert dilemma.

The filling is an unusual combination of sweet pears with chunks of tender pumpkin wrapped in a spicy maple syrup. Any similar winter squash, like butternut or hubbard, can be substituted for traditional pumpkin.

You may need to adjust the sweetener a little. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth at all, so of the range given for sweeteners, I use the lesser amount. However, some in my family didn’t think it was sweet enough.

The oats in the topping are soaked overnight and the nuts are soaked and dehydrated.

A craving for the fall flavors of pear, pumpkin, and spices inspired this crisp. The filling is an unusual combination of sweet pears with chunks of tender pumpkin wrapped in a spicy maple syrup. | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

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Pear and Pumpkin Crisp

The filling is an unusual combination of sweet pears with chunks of tender pumpkin wrapped in a spicy maple syrup. Any similar winter squash, like butternut or hubbard, can be substituted for traditional pumpkin.

Course Dessert
Author Lee Burdett

Ingredients

Filling

  • 3 to 4 pears ripe but not soft enough that they will disintegrate during baking
  • 1/2 of a small pie pumpkin peeled, seeded and cubed
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon grass-fed butter cold

Topping:

  • 1 cup rolled oats sprouted or regular
  • 1 cup pure water warm
  • 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup grass-fed butter melted
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup unrefined granulated sweetener sucanat or coconut sugar
  • 1/3 cup crispy pecans or crispy walnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • pinch sea salt

Instructions

Topping:

  1. The night before, or at least 8 hours before, place the rolled oats in a medium bowl.Ā 

  2. Stir in 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.Ā 

  3. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight or up to 24 hours.

  4. When ready to make the crisp, place the oats in a fine mesh strainer, drain, and rinse with fresh water.Ā 

  5. Shake off as much excess water as possible and spread out on a tea towel to air dry while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

  6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a deep dish pie plate.Ā 

Filling:

  1. Slice, core, and chop the pears into uniform chunks.

  2. If you have trouble peeling the pumpkin, cut it into wedges and slice it from the peel like a cantaloupe.Ā 

  3. Cut the pieces into small enough cubes that they will tenderize and soften during baking.Ā 

  4. There should be about 6 cups of pear and pumpkin pieces.Ā 

  5. Mix the fruit with the maple syrup and spices in a large bowl.Ā 

  6. Pour the filling into a deep dish pie plate.Ā 

  7. Cut the tablespoon of butter into small cubes and scatter it over the top of the filling.

Assemble:

  1. Place the soaked oats in a medium bowl.Ā 

  2. Add the melted butter, chopped nuts, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a pinch of sea salt to the oats and stir well to combine.Ā 

  3. Use a spoon or your hands to evenly layer the topping over the pear mixture in the pie plate.Ā 

  4. Place the crisp into the preheated oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and the filling is bubbly.Ā 

  5. If the topping begins to brown too quickly, spread a sheet of foil on top.

  6. Allow to cool somewhat before serving.

Recipe Notes

Serve with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. (Want a free ice cream eBook? It's free at my blog with your email subscription.)

Ā 

A craving for the fall flavors of pear, pumpkin, and spices inspired this crisp. The filling is an unusual combination of sweet pears with chunks of tender pumpkin wrapped in a spicy maple syrup. | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

Ā 

This recipe reminds me of scenes described in Redwall novels — a drop of cider, crusty country pasties, a chunk of cheese and this lovely Pear and Pumpkin Crisp. Now for a mug of October Ale. šŸ˜‰

Enjoy! What do you think of combining pear and pumpkin? Have you combined these 2 fall flavors before? In what?

This post was featured in 57 Scrumptious Egg-Free Desserts and 32 Delicious Pumpkin Recipes {from Breakfast to Dessert}.

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Posted in: Celebrations Desserts & Cookies Desserts & Cookies (Gluten-Free) Food Preparation Recipes

About Lee Burdett

Lee holds a Masters in Music Education from Florida State and was a band director in her past life. Married to her college sweetheart for over 26 years, she has been homeschooling their two children for the last 9 years. A lifelong foodie, her real food journey got a kickstart when her sister took her to hear Sally Fallon speak on Nourishing Traditional Foods in 2007. Together with her sister, she produced a DVD on making nourishing traditional breads using the soaked flour method. Today Lee is co-leader of her local WAPF chapter, and teaches about real food and alternative health topics to her local community. She is busy pulling out the shrubs from her home in the suburbs of Orlando and replacing them with edible landscaping. She also blogs at Well Fed Family, shares videos on the Well Fed Family YouTube channel, and interacts on all the usual social media networks: Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenny Cazzola says

    November 24, 2014 at 4:13 pm

    When I saw this recipe I was wondering how you got the pumpkin puree to work in a crisp but how interesting that you just use it cubed. This looks really good!

    Reply
  2. Erin VL says

    November 24, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    Hi Lee~ So, does the topping get crispy or is it more just chewy? Curious because you soak the oats and then use it as a topping without dehydrating them first. Thanks! Sounds delicious. šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Lee Burdett says

      November 25, 2014 at 10:33 am

      Erin, it really depends on how dry your oats get as you let them sit on the towel. If you want something decidedly crispier I suggest using sprouted oats (I buy mine from To Your Health Sprouted Flour company) so you can skip the soaking step. Some of the soaked topping does get crispy, some of it is more on the chewy side. Either way it tastes yummy šŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. kelli says

    November 18, 2015 at 4:06 am

    About how much pumpkin is 1/2 a pie pumpkin? Would canned chunks of pie pumpkin work?

    Reply

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