Pear Apple Cranberry (Leftovers) Crisp

It's clean-out-the-fridge day and I need a reward for cleaning out the nasty plastic containers of leftovers and far beyond their purchase date dairy items. Opening these things and dumping their contents into the trash...the odor of spoiled food...beyond words. Are you hungry yet?

I have a few pears, apples and a partial bag of cranberries that need to be used so I'm putting them all together in a crisp. Sometimes I make the topping rustic, with oatmeal and chopped walnuts, but today I thought I'd try something a little softer and more refined. So no oatmeal and finely ground almonds (almonds and pears are great together) instead of walnuts.

The result is warm fruit topped and laced with crispy sweet crumbs. Add a spoonful of vanilla ice cream while it's still warm and I promise it will bring you to a happy place. It worked for me.

Leftovers (Pear Apple Cranberry) Crisp

Serves 4-6

Fruit:
4 1/2 cups (approx.) mixed apples, pears
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping:
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick cold butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 350º

Peel, or partially peel, pears and apples, cut into one inch chunks and put into an 8 x 8 baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice and toss to combine.

Grind almonds in a food processor until you have a coarse meal. Add flour, sugars, salt and butter cubes and pulse until incorporated and sandy looking. Cover fruit with topping, banging dish gently on countertop so it sifts throughout the crisp. Bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top and bubbly around the edges. Let cool for 15 minutes then serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.