I added “Holiday”, but honestly you can make this any time of year. I most often make it on the holidays because decent pears are available as is Chambord. Chambord may be my favorite liqueur, but it is pricey and this recipe uses a fair amount, hence a holiday time treat. The bulk can be made ahead, making this another plus during holidays.

For the pears, any classic type (Anjou, Bosc, Bartlett) works well. As for the dried sour cherries, they have become harder and harder to find since most are now sweetened. I honestly don’t get this. In some stores, dried sweet cherries are available right next to sweetened sour cherries. I mean, what the hell is wrong with us? Anyway, it does make a difference as the sourness is a perfect counterpoint to the sugars that come from the pears and the Chambord.

This recipe is geared towards healthier fat (ignoring any added topping) where the fat comes from the pecans only, and is lower in added sugar than most holiday desserts

EQUIPMENT:

• 2 quart saucepan
• 1 rimmed baking sheet (optional parchment for easy cleanup)
• Ramekins or single serving bowls depending on the variation you choose
  The size of the bowls or ramekins will depend on how big a portion you want to serve. I use 4oz bowls and that usually comes out to about 6 servings. It can easily be 6, 6oz servings if you add a topping (whipped cream or ice cream); otherwise, it will probably make 4 healthy 6oz servings.

INGREDIENTS:

For the base:

• 8 pears, not overly ripe, peeled, cored, then cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces
• ³/₄ cup of dried sour cherries (see rant above)
• 1 ^1/₂ cups of Chambord
• 1 cup of hot water kept aside (see instructions)

For the crumble:

• 2 cup of rolled oats
• 2 cup of pecans
• ³/₄ cup of all-purpose flour
• ¹/₂ cup packed brown sugar
• ³/₄ to 1 ¹/₂ cups of apple butter (see directions)
• 1 tsp of cinnamon IF the apple butter does not have cinnamon
• A little oil or spray oil for the baking sheet

DIRECTIONS:

First we’re going to make the base, and this can be done a day or two in advance:

1. Put the pears and cherries in the saucepan.
2. Add the Chambord
3. Bring to a boil under high heat, then lower to medium so that there is a steady simmer.
4. (Your goal now is to both cook the pears and evaporate the Chambord to a syrup, stirring occasionally at first and more often as it thickens).
5. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring, until the Chambord has cooked to a maple syrup consistency.
6. Remove from heat.
7. If making ahead or if you want to serve it cold, once it cools down, pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate. (Serving cold: wait until chilled before making crumble).

Now we’re going to make the crumble. This is best done day of, as you want to keep most of it dry and crunchy.

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF
2. In a food processor, add the rolled oats, pecans, flour, and brown sugar.
3. If your apple butter has no cinnamon, add the tsp of cinnamon.
4. Pulse about a dozen times.
5. Now comes the tricky part. You want to use the apple butter to moisten the mixture enough so that it comes together, but still fall apart so you can easily break it into chunks.
6. Place ³/₄ cup of apple butter into the processor and process around 15-20 seconds until everything clumps up. If the mixture immediately falls apart or fails to cohere, it is too dry. If so, and it often is, add another ^1/₄ cup of apple butter and check again after 5-10 seconds. It’s often okay at this point, but if it isn’t, try another ^1/₄ cup.

Here, we deviate here depending how you want to serve this.
You can serve it with the base chilled or at room temperature. You’ll have two options for serving it warm as well: Quick Serve or Out of the Oven. The Out of the Oven option will create a thin layer of soft crumble as the steam from the cooking base releases. I haven’t done that style in a while though, opting for the other methods for speed. In all cases, you will probably have extra crumble. Just toss some on your bowl of breakfast cereal, or oatmeal, or ice cream. (Bake the excess after you’re finished if doing the Out of Oven style).

For serving chilled, room temperature, or hot Quick Serve:

1. Lightly coat the baking tray with oil. If using parchment paper for easy cleanup, lightly oil that instead.
2. Break up the mixture into roughly 1 inch pieces. You definitely don’t have to be exact here.
3. Place into the oven for around 10-12 minutes.
4. Check to see if the crumble has browned lightly. If not, keep checking every 2 minutes until it is, then remove from the oven once done.
5. If Quick Serve, heat up your base mixture then spoon equal amounts into your serving bowls / ramekins.
6. Add crumble on top to completely cover the base.
   (Note: If you’re doing this ahead of time, keep your crumble separate to keep it from getting soggy. Also, let it cool completely if refrigerating the crumble. Just add it right before serving.)

For Out of the Oven style:

1. Lower the oven to 350^oF
2. If your base has been made ahead of time, heat it up until it just barely begins to bubble -meaning you’re doing this to get it hot, you don’t need to cook it.
3. Divide equal amounts of the base into the ramekins.
4. Break up the mixture into roughly 1 inch pieces an put pieces on top of the base. You definitely don’t have to be exact here.
5. Ensure you’ve completely covered the base fully.
6. Put the ramekins on the baking pan and into the oven.
7. Bake around 15 minutes, then begin to check every few minutes for until the tops are toasted brown.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool down enough to be able handle the ramekins.