Description
A delightful and comforting pear crumble featuring ripe pears baked under a buttery, nutty crumb topping. Enhanced with lemon juice and vanilla, this classic dessert offers a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness, ideal for serving warm with custard.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit Base
- 4 ripe pears, peeled, cored and quartered lengthways
- 100g dark brown soft sugar
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Crumble Topping
- 250g plain flour
- 150g cold butter, cut into chunks
- 75g dark brown soft sugar
- 50g chopped hazelnuts
To Serve
- Custard
Instructions
- Prepare the Oven and Pears: Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/gas mark 4. Arrange the peeled, cored, and quartered pears snugly in a medium ovenproof dish to avoid gaps, ensuring the crumble topping will cover them completely.
- Coat the Pears: Sprinkle 100g of dark brown soft sugar over the pears, then drizzle with the juice of half a lemon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Use your hands to mix gently, coating the pears evenly with the sugar and flavors.
- Make the Crumble Topping: In a large bowl, tip in 250g plain flour. Rub in 150g cold butter chunks with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in 75g dark brown soft sugar and 50g chopped hazelnuts, ensuring even distribution of ingredients.
- Assemble and Bake: Scatter the crumble topping generously over the pears, avoiding packing it down so the topping remains crumbly after baking. Any leftover crumble can be baked separately in a small ovenproof dish to serve as extra topping later.
- Bake Until Golden: Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown and the pears are tender and cooked through.
- Serve Warm: Remove from the oven and serve the pear crumble warm, accompanied by custard for added comfort and creaminess.
Notes
- Use ripe but firm pears to ensure they hold shape during baking.
- Do not pack the crumble topping tightly to maintain a light, crispy texture.
- Leftover crumble topping can be baked separately and saved for future use.
- Serving with warm custard complements the dessert beautifully.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: pear crumble, crumble recipe, fruit dessert, baked dessert, hazelnut crumble, classic British dessert
