Pear and Ginger Crisp

The slight heat of ground ginger brings out the sweetness of the pears. Ground gingerroot is far more intense and peppery than fresh. If you prefer only a hint of ginger, omit it from the topping. When it's fresh out of the oven and still hot, this is especially good with ice cream.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1/4  cup  water
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 2 1/2  pounds  pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
• Cooking spray
• 3/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground ginger
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 3  tablespoons  chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2  (1-ounce) slices white bread
• 1/4  cup  slivered almonds, ground
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add first 6 ingredients; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place pear mixture in a 2-quart casserole lightly coated with cooking spray.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, and salt; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until crumbs measure 3/4 cup. Stir breadcrumbs and nuts into flour mixture.

Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over pear mixture. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

305 (28% from fat)

Fat:

9.6g (sat 3.1g,mono 4g,poly 1.6g)

Protein:

3.4g

Carbohydrate:

55.1g

Fiber:

4.7g

Cholesterol:

12mg

Iron:

1.8mg

Sodium:

155mg

Calcium:

53mg