Almond paste is made of ground almonds with the addition of various sugars but is not as sweet as sweet as marzipan. It’s used in a variety of baked dishes. If it becomes hard, it can be softened in the microwave for a few seconds.

Fresh, almost buttery, baked pears are the perfect match with the nutty crispness of toasted, sliced almonds. In this recipe, an added depth of flavor is created by the addition of almond paste to a traditional butter and brown sugar streusel. 

The result is a fragrant pear dish perfect for a cold afternoon that will have your fellow housemates and guests wafting into the kitchen as this comes hot and bubbly out of the oven.

For the fruit:
3-4 sliced pears, core removed, but not peeled
Juice of ½ a lemon
Pinch of salt
1 tbs butter in small pieces

Toss pears with the lemon juice and salt, grease a shallow casserole dish and fill with pears, dot with the butter and place in a 350 degree oven while the crisp topping is prepared.  (If you feel your pears could be sweeter, add a little sugar when tossing the pears with the lemon juice and salt.)

For the almond crisp topping:
1 stick of butter (8 tbs)
3 ½ to 4 ounces of almond paste
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
½ cup sliced almonds

Melt the butter with the almond paste until both are smooth; add the sugar and flour and let rest for 5-6 minutes until it can be crumbled – adding the sliced almonds. 

Top the pears and continue baking for 35 minutes or until the pears are tender and the topping is golden brown.  (If the topping starts to brown too much and the pears are still not ready, tent the crisp with a small piece of aluminum foil.)

Serves 6-8



Copyright 2007.