One of the best things about summer is the prevalence of delicious fruit which can serve as the basis for many delicious desserts like this Blueberry Pear Crumble.

The end of blueberry season coincides with the beginning of pear season.  What better way to celebrate the combination than with this delicious dessert?  This dessert was inspired by my Apple Crisp, and the presence of some ripe pears and blueberries that were sharing space in my  kitchen.  Why shouldn’t I combine the two into a crumble?

You may be wondering about crumbles.  According to several sources, a crumble is a dessert made from fruit baked and topped with an oat based streusel.  This is exactly how I made my Apple Crisp, so perhaps, I didn’t make a crisp. Maybe I made an apple crumble.   There are those who say that a crisp should never contain oats, but others say it’s okay for oats to be in your crisp topping.  I’m no naming expert, but I know that this recipe tastes very good, and I decided to call it a crumble.  There is something about the addition of the blueberries to the pears that brings a depth of flavor that doesn’t exist when it is made with only one type of fruit.

The process was very simple.  It was basically the same process as when I made the apple crisp.

This recipe fills an 8×8” pan.  If you need a bigger dessert, double the recipe and use a 9×13” pan.   The whole thing is very simple.  First you need to grease the bottom and sides of a baking pan.Then,  slice  4 medium pears, removing the seeds and stem.  Peeling the pears is optional, but we prefer our pears peeled when they go into desserts.  I leave that decision up to you.  These 4 pears will give you about 4 cups of  slices.Arrange the pear slices in the bottom of a well greased baking pan, then top them with about 1 cup of blueberries.  I used fresh, but frozen will also work.

In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oats, softened butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.  I have a friend who despises nutmeg.  When I make this for her, I leave the nutmeg out and add more cinnamon.Mix these together and sprinkle evenly on top of the pears and blueberries.Put the pan into the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 350° or until the topping is golden and the fruit is tender.Our family thinks that this is best when served warm with ice cream, but it’s delicious however you serve it.Here’s the recipe.  Give it a try.  Leave us a comment to let us know what you think.

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