Cranberry, Pear, Apple Crisp

This recipe is one of my favorite fall desserts. I think there was a recipe like this in Bon Appetite many years ago and I adopted it. The combination of tart and sweet with the maple tones of brown sugar is irresistible. All of the fruits are at their peak around Thanksgiving and this recipe requires very little time to make. The red of the cranberries stains all of the fruit a pink red and this dish is very attractive.  Be sure to use Old Fashioned oats in the topping and not instant, it leads to a chunkier, better textured topping.

Adding the orange juice into the cranberries and sugar mix that you cook helps the sugar dissolve faster.

1 & 1/2 pounds fresh cranberries (2 12 oz packages
2 large Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples
2 large, firm, ripe Bartlett pears
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons of fresh tangerine or orange juice
1-2 tablespoons of tangerine or orange zest

Crisp Topping
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted parave margarine or butter

Preheat oven to 375°. Place one 12 ounce package of cranberries in a 9 x13 inch baking dish typically a glass Pyrex type. Next peel and core the apples and pears. Slice both apples and pears into ½ inch cubes. Add the apples and pears to the cranberries in the Pyrex baker.

Place the other 12 ounce package of cranberries in a large heavy sauté pan along with the sugar orange juice and orange zest. Simmer the cranberries with sugar until the sugar is dissolved and berries begin to burst, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the contents of the pan into the prepared fruit in the baking dish.

In a food processor, pulse together topping ingredients, until mixture is size of peas, being careful not to over process. You can do this combining by hand as well. I do it by hand in a glass bowl.

Sprinkle topping over fruit and set the baking dish on an aluminum baking sheet to catch drippings. Bake the crisp in oven 45 to 50 minutes or until topping is golden and filling is bubbling. Cool to warm. Serve warm with parave whipped cream or ice cream. This crisp tastes great even cold or next day for breakfast.