Pear crumble is a dessert made with a pear mixture covered in a crumble topping of brown sugar, butter, and flour. It is best made with slightly underripe pears and can be modified with spices, nuts, or other fruits.
A pear crumble is a dessert, similar to a pear tart or pie, but with no bottom crust. It is also similar to a cobbler, but the topping is not like a dumpling, bread or cake. It is cooked in a roasting pan, cake pan, or casserole dish and generally consists of a pear mixture covered in a type of topping called a crumble, which usually consists of brown sugar, butter, and flour.
Pears for pear crumble are best used when they are a little underripe. Unripe pears are firmer and tend to hold their shape better when cooked. Using very ripe or soft pears for such a dish will result in a mush with little or no texture. Using slightly overripe pears also means that sugar needs to be added, but this is generally assumed by the recipe compiler and is included in the recipe. Depending on the recipe, pears can be peeled or unpeeled, but they are always cored and usually sliced, although they can be diced. Prepared pears should be lightly coated with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
The pear mixture for most pear crumbles is made from pears, sugar, and spices. Brown or white sugar can be used, depending on the recipe. Both types of sugar can be substituted for each other according to preference. Some cooks prefer the more complex flavors of brown sugar, while others don’t mind the darker color it imparts to dishes when it’s used. Spices similar to those used for apple pie, such as nutmeg and cinnamon, are typical. Flour and butter are also typically added to the dough so that the dough thickens when baked.
The topping for a pear crumble can be made a number of ways, but in its simplest form it consists of brown sugar, butter, and flour mixed in proportions that result in a fairly dry granular mixture that spreads over the pear mixture after is placed in the pan or roasting pan. When cooked, these ingredients form a crumbly, crunchy, sweet topping typical of crumbled desserts.
The two basic elements of a pear crumble, the filling and the topping, can be modified in a number of ways. Chopped nuts or other fruits, such as apples, cranberries, blackberries or raisins can be added to the filling. Others are also possible, limited only by the imagination of the cook. The crumb topping can be changed by adding rolled oats, finely chopped walnuts, or graham cracker crumbs, for example.
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