Pear Crisp with Candied Ginger

How odd. I'm no longer a student. Last night I graduated from nursing school! Now I've got two degrees and no job. (And I won't officially be an RN 'till I pass boards.) But despite all the uncertainty, it feels good. My family came down to celebrate (we even ate sushi!) and I was surrounded by the friends who made nursing school so wonderful. (Yes, there were some memorable patients and awesome instructors. But the friends I survived school with made all the difference.) Last weekend I invited them to dinner. We had salad and lasagna, and for dessert I served this pear crisp.

Baked pears make me swoon. Other fruits make good fillings, but pears are outstanding. They're soft and juicy and sweet. Here they were dusted in cinnamon and baked underneath a crunchy almond and oatmeal crumble studded with candied ginger. The ginger has got some zing. Such a festive, perfect finish to a memorable meal.

Pear Crisp with Candied Ginger

INGREDIENTS
Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
heaping 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup candied or crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
heaping 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
4 lbs. firm but ripe Bartlett pears (6-7 large), peeled, cored, and diced

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. To prepare the topping, whisk the first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Add butter. Working quickly so butter does not soften, rub in with fingertips until moist clumps form. Stir in oats, almonds, and ginger. Chill while preparing filling. (Alternately, the topping can be prepared in the food processor. Pulse the almonds and ginger until finely chopped. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon and pulse to combine. Add the cold diced butter and pulse until moist clumps form. Last, add the oatmeal and pulse until incorporated into large clumps. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.)

3. To prepare the filling, in a large bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt, Add the pears and toss to coat. Pour filling into the prepared baking dish. Crumble topping over the filling.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, until filling is bubbling and topping is golden brown (cover partway through if necessary). Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream. 

Serves 8-10.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit)