Pear Crumble
Pear crumble is a warm and comforting dessert that combines the natural sweetness and softness of baked pears with a gorgeous buttery crumble topping. The juicy pears are mixed with sugar, lemon juice, and spices which have such a lovely and tender flavour when baked. You are going to love this dessert!
In this blog post, you will learn how to make pear crumble.
How to Make the Pear Filling?
This pear crumble recipe uses canned pears. Strain your canned pears through a sieve and put them into a large mixing bowl. You will not need the pear juice for this recipe. Add your brown sugar, corn flour, vanilla extract, lemon juice and cinnamon to the pears and give them a good mix until your pears are nicely coated. I like to let my pears macerate for a little bit, but it is not a rule. When they are done macerating, pour the pear filling into a greased 9”x9” pan.
How to Make the Crumble topping?
The crumble topping is made up of flour, sugar, and butter. Mix the flour and sugar together well. Then you will want to cut in the butter. The butter should be removed from the fridge right before you need it because it needs to be very cold. See my How to Cut in Butter tutorial on the different techniques used to cut in butter.
Can I Use Fresh Pears Instead of Canned Pears?
Yes, you can. Pear crumble is a great way to use your fresh pears. You will need the same amount of weight as the canned pears which is about a pound. See the titles below on how to prepare fresh pears.
How to Prepare Fresh Pears?
To prepare fresh pears for a pear pie, follow the steps below:
- Select Ripe Pears:
- Choose pears that are ripe but still firm, such as Bosc, Anjou, or Bartlett varieties, for the best texture in your pie.
- Peel the Pears:
- Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the skin from the pears, as the skin can become tough when baked.
- Core the Pears:
- Slice the pears in half and use a melon baller or a small spoon to remove the core and seeds. Also, cut out the stem.
- Slice the Pears:
- Cut the pears into thin, even slices (about 1/4-inch thick) to ensure they bake evenly and fit well in the pie.
- Toss with Lemon Juice:
- Immediately toss the pear slices with lemon juice to prevent them from browning and to add a bit of acidity to balance the sweetness.
Once prepared, your fresh pears are ready to be used in your pie filling, whether mixed with sugar and spices or placed directly in the crust.
Best Variety of Pears to Use
The best pear varieties for pear pie are those that hold their shape when baked and offer a balance of sweetness and firmness. Here are the top choices:
- Bosc Pears are firm and maintain their structure well when baked, making them ideal for pie. They have a slightly sweet, spiced flavour that complements the pie’s spices.
- Anjou Pears (Red or Green) are juicy with a mild, sweet flavour. They hold up well during baking and provide a soft yet firm texture in the pie.
- Bartlett Pears are juicy and sweet, with a buttery texture. They soften more than other varieties, so they’re best combined with firmer pears like Bosc for texture contrast.
Using a combination of Bosc and Anjou pears often provides the best results. Consequently, this balances flavour and texture in your pear pie.
Interested in Other Pear Desserts? Click on the links below for other great ways to use canned or fresh pears!
Ingredients
Canned Pears: canned pears are the basis of the crumble. They become incredibly juicy and tender when baked which makes them ideal for the fruit base.
Brown Sugar: brown sugar adds a caramel-like sweetness to the filling which enhances the pear filling’s sweetness.
Lemon Juice: lemon juice adds a slight tang and if using fresh pears, prevents them from browning once peeled.
Corn Flour: corn flour thickens the pear filling and absorbs excess liquid from the pears.
Vanilla Extract: vanilla extract adds a warm and sweet note to the pears.
Granulated Sugar: granulated sugar adds sweetness to the crumble topping.
All-Purpose/Plain Flour: all-purpose flour is used to the structure of the crumble topping.
Unsalted Butter: unsalted butter is cut into the flour and sugar to form the crumble topping which then melts into a gorgeous crust.
Tips
- If using fresh pears, make to sure to coat them in lemon juice once the skin is removed to prevent the flesh from browning.
Pear Crumble
Ingredients
Pear Filling
- 2 Cans of pears each weighing 8 oz.
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. corn flour
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Crumble Topping
- 1/2 c. sugar granulated
- 1 c. all-purpose/plain flour
- 1/2 c. butter unsalted (115g)
Instructions
- Drain the pears from their juice and place them into a large bowl. (The pear juice will not be needed for this recipe.)
- Add to the pears the brown sugar, lemon juice, corn flour, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Mix together and let macerate.
- In a separate bowl, mix the granulated sugar and all-purpose/plain flour together. Next, cut in the butter until only small pea sized pieces of butter are left.
- Preheat oven to 375℉/190℃/Gas Mark 5.
- Take a 9”x9” dish and grease with either non-stick spray or butter. Pour into the greased dish the pear filling. Sprinkle the crumble topping onto the top of pear filling.
- Bake for 1 hour until the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve with ice cream!
Notes
In this blog post, you learned how to make a pear crumble.