Sweetly Satisfying

Every delicious dining experience event needs an equally delicious finish. In this case the wildly good turducken that was consumed for our Christmas dinner was the main event, and this excellent, and easy Pear-Ginger Crisp proved more than up to the task of following that over-the-top entrée.

After so much intense savory goodness for dinner, you don't want to be staring down at some heavy, too sweet dessert course wondering where in hell you're going to fit it in. Loosen your belt? Dang, you did that halfway through dinner. Stick it in your pocket for later...hmmmm....nah, too messy, and who wants pocket lint all over their dessert? Ack! That's why this sweet, but not too, and freshly seasonal crisp is perfect. Pears, ginger, with that zingy and lightening bit of lemon zest and its crisply browned topping are the deal. If you can, and you should, add some vanilla bean ice cream, then you'll find out what a sweet finish is all about! Yet another easy, fast, and crowd pleasing dessert that will have your friends singing your praises. And isn't that why we do these things??!
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Ginger Pear Crisp

6 pears, peeled and sliced. Preferably three each of two different types of pear.
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits
Topping:
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss first seven ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into a buttered baking dish. Melt butter in small saucepan, then using a fork combine it and the remaining five ingredients in a bowl. Spoon topping across pears. Bake for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.