Equipment
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Oat Crisp
- 100 g rolled oats
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 80 g dark brown sugar, packed
- 3 g ground cinnamon
- 2 g kosher salt
- 60 g vegan butter, cold, cubed
Glazed Pears
- 4 bosc pears, peeled, cored, and sliced into 2cm wedges
- 40 g vegan butter
- 50 g dark brown sugar
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Pear-Brandy Syllabub
- 240 ml dairy-free heavy whipping cream alternative, chilled
- 40 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 45 ml pear brandy
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 g lemon zest, finely grated
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 56 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 42 g
- Sodium
- 258 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Potassium
- 249 mg
- Calcium
- 57 mg
- Iron
- 0.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 12 mg
- Phosphorus
- 54 mg
- Zinc
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 4 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 6 mg
- Vitamin E
- 2.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 5 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.02 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.04 mg
- Niacin
- 0.3 mg
- Folate
- 10 mcg
- Water
- 128 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt.
Add the cold cubed vegan butter to the dry ingredients. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry mixture until it forms coarse, irregular crumbs.
Spread the oat mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
In a large skillet, melt 40g of vegan butter over medium heat. Add the pear wedges and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes to develop color.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over the pears. Continue to saute for another 5 to 7 minutes, stirring gently, until the pears are tender and coated in a thick, bubbly glaze. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the chilled dairy-free heavy cream on medium-high speed until it begins to thicken.
Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, pear brandy, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Continue whipping until soft, pillowy peaks form. Do not overmix.
To serve, divide the warm glazed pears among serving dishes. Top generously with the baked oat crisp, and finish with a large dollop of the pear-brandy syllabub.
Chef's Notes
- Bosc pears are crucial here. Their dense, firm flesh holds up beautifully to sauteing without disintegrating into applesauce texture.
- Not all dairy-free whipping creams perform identically. Oat-based and soy-based versions tend to hold up better to alcohol and acid than pure coconut cream, which can split.
- The oat crisp can be made up to a week in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. It serves as a fantastic textural contrast to the soft pears and airy syllabub.
- When adding alcohol to a whipped cream or syllabub, do so slowly and towards the end of the whipping process to maintain structure.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store crisp separately at room temperature in an airtight container to maintain crunch. Store pears and syllabub in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Reheat pears gently in a skillet over low heat before assembling with cold syllabub.
Troubleshooting
Dairy-free cream separates or will not hold peaks
Cause: The plant-based cream was not cold enough, or the acid from the lemon juice was added too quickly before a base emulsion formed
Fix: Fold in a tablespoon of unwhipped, very cold plant cream to re-emulsify, though volume may be lost.
Prevention: Chill the cream and mixing bowl for at least 24 hours. Whip the cream slightly before introducing acidic ingredients.
Pears turned to mush
Cause: Overripe pears were used, or they were sliced too thin
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Serve as a delicious rustic pear compote instead.
Prevention: Select firm-ripe Bosc pears which naturally hold their shape well when cooked. Cut into wedges no thinner than 2cm.
Cultural Context
Syllabub is a historic British dessert traditionally made by curdling fresh milk with wine or cider. As the dish migrated to the American South, it evolved into a whipped, airy dessert often spiked with local spirits. This modern, dairy-free interpretation merges the delicate alcoholic whip with a rustic Southern fruit crisp, utilizing pear brandy to echo and elevate the caramelized Bosc pears.
