I’ve made a lot of desserts over the years – from simple to more technical and complex. Many of them you can see over in my recipe index. But there are a couple of dishes that I seem to make over and over because I love them so much. In winter, I can’t get enough sticky date pudding, self-saucing pudding and fruit crumble.
But of course, I’m always on a mission to make them different (and better) every time. This Pear and Pistachio Crumble is totally one of the best crumbles I’ve ever made. I love crumbles because they are super versatile. You can use just about any fruit from berries, rhubarb, stone fruit, apples, pears etc. You can adapt the topping to use different nuts or flours, and easily create gluten free and vegan versions of it to satisfy everyone’s dietary needs.
Call it a weird food quirk, but I really don’t like raw pear. I would never go and pick one up from the fruit bowl and take a bite. They always seem to be underripe and rock hard or overripe and mushy. However, they are one of my absolute favourite ingredients for winter baking.
I love cooking pears because it doesn’t seem to matter if they aren’t perfectly ripe. When they are baked or poached they soften up beautifully and take on whatever flavour they are cooked with.
Pears pair (haha) with so many different ingredients in a million different ways. Think classic combos like warm spices, nuts, caramel, tea, honey and other fruits like apple, berries and rhubarb… to more unexpected flavour pairings like chocolate, red wine, even cheese!
This Pear and Pistachio Crumble is absolutely something special. I love the in-season fruit cooked with dessert wine and a hint of cardamom and rosewater. The crumble topping is perfectly buttery and crisp with the addition of pistachios and coconut. Plus, it’s easy, which is a big tick in my book!
But my favourite part is the white chocolate! I was had originally planned to use dark chocolate but I didn’t have any in the cupboard and decided to try it with white chocolate instead. I didn’t want it to burn while baking, so I pressed squares of the chocolate into the crumble as soon as it came out of the oven. The residual heat melted the chocolate, creating pockets of delicious creamy sweetness.
Served with a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a scattering of dried rose petals, this has to be one of my favourite desserts I’ve created recently. I just loved everything about it and couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you!
Related Post: Berry, Coconut & Quinoa Crumble
Pear and Pistachio Crumble with White Chocolate
This Pear and Pistachio Crumble is a delicious winter dessert, with a hint of rosewater and creamy pockets of melted white chocolate.
Ingredients
- 4 pears
- 1/3 cup dessert wine
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean extract)
- 10 cardamom pods
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons rosewater
- Dried rose petals, optional
- Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Crumble
- 60 g butter, slightly softened, cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoons plain flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- Pinch Salt
- 6 squares white chocolate
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
-
Peel and core the pears and cut into roughly 3cm cubes. Place into a saucepan with the dessert wine, water, vanilla, cardamom pods and raw sugar. Cook, stirring often for about 20 minutes or until pears are cooked. Remove from the heat and add the rosewater. Remove the cardamom pods and set aside.
-
To make the crumble, place the butter, flour, brown sugar, chopped pistachios, coconut and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Rub the mixture with your fingers until the butter has been incorporated and it forms a crumbly texture.
-
Place the pears into a baking dish and scatter the crumble mixture over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the topping is golden. Remove from the oven and lightly press the squares of white chocolate into the warm crumble topping. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.