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Mother Rucker’s Sweets Fresh Pear and Dried Cherry Crumble – 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cup finely crushed Mother Rucker's Sweets Gingerbread Cookie Brittle
- 3-4 Tbsps. unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
- 1/4 cup mild honey
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup orange juice (1 large fresh squeezed orange)
- 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest (zest first, then squeeze for the juice)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup dried tart cherries (about 9 ounces)
- 4 - 5 pounds ripe pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1 inch cubes (about 8 cups)
Instructions
PREPARATION Preheat oven to 375°F
Streusel
1. In a food processor, pulse the cookies into crumbs and add 2-3 Tbsps. of the melted butter to make a moist crumb mixture (should resemble wet sand) – add more melted butter if necessary.
2. Add walnuts and process in a few quick pulses – you want to mix the nuts into the cookie crumb mixture, but still keep them in chunky pieces.
3. Set aside.
Filling
1. Place the next 6 ingredients in medium skillet.
2. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boil.
3. Add cherries and simmer until cherries begin to soften and liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. 4. Remove from heat.
Baking Instructions
1. Generously butter a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, toss pears with the dried cherry mixture; spread in the baking dish.
3. Bake fruit about 25 mins. Remove from oven and generously sprinkle streusel over the top.
4. Return to oven and continue baking until bubbling and golden, about 15-20 mins more.
5. Cool on the counter for about 30 mins.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm or at room temperature with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers.
NOTE
Ripe, juicy pears can be easily found from late summer (Bartlett variety); into fall (Bosc variety); and through (Anjou variety).