This is a lovely dish for the autumn! The sweet and buttery pears work nicely with the sweet and tangy berries … and this delicious fruity mixture is covered with the nutty oatmeal topping. Serve it with caramel sauce to satisfy your autumn cravings. It can be a fancy breakfast or a simple, quick dessert!

TIP

This is a sweet dish so ideally sugar should be used. I included a range for the sugar content. Please feel free to use as little sugar or as much sugar as you’d like. Of course, the amount will depend on your sweet tooth and how sweet your fruits are.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TOPPING

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) butter, melted 
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup brown sugar + 2 tbsp for the top (regular sugar is fine)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• zest of 1 lemon (optional)
• 1 tsp apple pie spice or 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp nutmeg + 1/4 cloves+ little mace or 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts + more for serving
• caramel sauce for serving

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FRUITS

• 4 ripe (about 2 cup) but firm fresh pears , cored and chopped (I used Bartlett)
• 2 cup organic berries, fresh or frozen (I used raspberries and blackberries)
• o – 1/2 cup of brown sugar (I didn’t use any as my fruits were sweet enough but if you have a sweet tooth or the fruits are not very sweet, feel free to add sugar)
• 2 tbsp flour or 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 lemon’s juice (use the lemon from earlier)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp grated dried orange peel (optional)
• 1 tsp apple pie spice or 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp nutmeg + 1/4 cloves+ little mace or 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp graded fresh ginger or 1.5 tsp dried ginger (cut and sifted)
• 2 tbsp whiskey (optional)

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Have baking rack in the lower third of the oven.

2. Make the topping. Cream the melted butter with the sugar. Add oats, flour, apple pie spice, salt and lemon zest. Mix well. Fold in the nuts. Let it sit for an hour.

3. Wash, core and cut up pears into small cubes. You can peel them if the skin is tough, otherwise if they are soft no need to peel them. Set aside.

4. Assemble the fruit base. In a larger bowl, mix the chopped pears, berries, sugar, 1 tsp apple spice, salt, flour or cornstarch, orange peel, ginger and whiskey (if used) together. Spread evenly in a 2 qt size baking dish.

5. Put topping on the top of the fruit base. Sprinkle the top with some sugar (optional). I also graded a little nutmeg on the top.

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the middle portion becomes hot.

7. Serve with caramel sauce. Add some extra nuts if you wish.

Enjoy!

Photo by Twincitiesherbs.