Apple & Asian Pear Crisp

I picked up some Asian pears at the farmers market the other weekend. I combined two of them with apples in a crisp, figuring their similar texture would work well. It did.

3 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 Asian pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter (in small pieces), plus more for the pan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter an 8x8 pan or 10-inch deep dish pie pan.

In a large bowl, toss the fruit with the lemon juice and some of the cinnamon. Transfer to the buttered pan.

In a food processor, combine all other ingredients and the remaining cinnamon and pulse until crumbly but not powdered (you can also do this by hand with a pastry cutter or two knives, but it's harder). Spread over the fruit.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until topping is crisp and fruit is bubbly. Serve warm or hot.

Serves about 6.

Gingery Peach Crisp

We've been loading up on peaches and blueberries at the farmers market lately (from Clarkdale and Fairweather Farm, respectively), eating our fill while the season lasts. We're planning to freeze some, too, so we can enjoy them this winter when we're really tired of apples. We've been eating them on our cereal in the morning and feeding them to our one-year-old son (who loves them both!), but there are lots of other great possibilities. Here's one easy favorite.

5-6 cups sliced peaches or nectarines (or substitute blueberries for up to 2 cups)
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter an 8x8 pan or 10-inch deep dish pie pan.

In a large bowl, toss the fruit with the corn starch. Transfer to the buttered pan.

In a food processor, combine all other ingredients and pulse until crumbly but not powdered (you can also do this by hand with a pastry cutter or two knives, but it's harder). Spread over the fruit.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until topping is crisp and fruit is bubbly. Serve warm or hot. Great with ice cream, especially Snow's or Bart's Ginger.