Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Pear Filling
- 4 firm pears, peeled and cored
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Caramel Sauce
- 55 g unsalted butter
- 100 g light brown sugar, packed
- 60 ml heavy cream, room temperature
- 2 g kosher salt
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Ribbon
- 225 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Almond Oat Topping
- 90 g rolled oats
- 90 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g light brown sugar, packed
- 60 g sliced almonds
- 3 g ground cinnamon
- 2 g kosher salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, cubed and very cold
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 554 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 59 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 42 g
- Sodium
- 301 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 19 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 107 mg
- Potassium
- 284 mg
- Calcium
- 111 mg
- Iron
- 0.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 36 mg
- Phosphorus
- 110 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 275 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.22 mg
- Niacin
- 0.7 mg
- Folate
- 21 mcg
- Water
- 112 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius or 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
Peel, halve, and core the pears.
Slice the pears into even pieces about 1 centimeter thick. Toss with lemon juice in a bowl to prevent browning and set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt 55g of butter with 100g of brown sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes until bubbling, then whisk in the heavy cream, salt, and vanilla. Remove from heat.
Pour the warm caramel sauce over the sliced pears and mix gently to coat all the fruit evenly. Transfer the coated pears into the prepared baking dish.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until completely smooth and creamy.
In a third bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and salt for the topping.
Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry topping ingredients. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some larger, pea-sized clumps.
Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the caramel-coated pears in the baking dish. Sprinkle the almond oat topping evenly over the entire surface.
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the caramel pear juices are bubbling vigorously around the edges.
Remove the crisp from the oven and let it cool for at least 20 minutes before serving, allowing the caramel to thicken and the cream cheese to set slightly.
Chef's Notes
- Firm pears are essential here. Bosc or Anjou hold their shape beautifully during baking, while softer varieties like Bartlett may disintegrate into applesauce-like textures.
- If your kitchen is particularly warm, place your mixed crisp topping in the refrigerator or freezer for 10-15 minutes before sprinkling it over the fruit. Chilled fat is the secret to a crunchy streusel.
- The cream cheese ribbon serves two purposes: it tempers the sweetness of the caramel and creates a delightful cheesecake-like textural contrast against the tender fruit and crunchy oats.
- Do not skip the resting time after baking. The molten caramel sauce needs at least 20 minutes to cool and thicken slightly, otherwise it will be unpleasantly runny and dangerously hot.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container once completely cooled. Reheat in oven to restore crispness.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze tightly wrapped. The cream cheese texture may slightly change upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat uncovered in a 175C oven for 15 minutes to warm through and re-crisp the topping.
Troubleshooting
Topping is soggy instead of crisp
Cause: Butter was too warm when mixed, or dessert was covered while warm
Fix: Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes watching closely to re-toast the top, though underlying textural recovery is limited
Prevention: Use ice-cold butter for the streusel and never cover the baked crisp until it is completely cooled
Caramel sauce seized or clumped
Cause: Cold cream was poured into hot sugar, causing a temperature shock
Fix: Return to low heat and whisk gently until the sugar clumps melt back into the sauce
Prevention: Always use room temperature or slightly warmed heavy cream when making caramel
Pears turned into mush
Cause: Overripe pears were used, or pears were sliced too thin
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Use firm-ripe baking pears like Bosc and slice them no thinner than 1 centimeter
Cultural Context
Fruit crisps emerged in North America during the early 20th century as an accessible alternative to complex pies, utilizing simple pantry staples for the topping. The addition of cream cheese draws inspiration from classic American cheesecakes, bridging the gap between a rustic orchard bake and a decadent holiday centerpiece often enjoyed during Thanksgiving.
