Pear Crisp

The falling leaves of autumn remind me that I'm growing older. When the leaves begin falling from the trees, I start dreaming of raking up a pile to jump in. I've always found the smell of fallen leaves comforting, even as I pull colorful leaf fragments out of my hair after I've had my fill. However, these little dreams are short lived as I quickly remember that I neither have a rake nor a yard of leaves to gather together. To make up for the disappointment, I like to trudge through the leaves on the sidewalk in my heels, crunching my way to and from the car with satisfaction.

Though I may often look and sound like an adult, there is a child resting just below the surface, longing for a pile of leaves to dance in.

There are two trees in front of my parent's home that begin changing colors as soon as a hint of fall is in the air. While my parents often wished the trees would hold onto their leaves longer than the first of October, my sister and I relished in playing in the fallen leaves wearing only a light jacket in the golden autumn sun.

These trees, however, are peculiar. Though a few leaves are lost to the wind here or there, the trees typically drop all of their leaves at exactly the same moment, usually taking only a few hours' time. I imagine the trees talk to one another, planning the occasion by passing messages through their entangled roots. The dropping of the leaves has quickly become one of my favorite moments of autumn.

When the trees drop their leaves, it is similar to a rainstorm; they fall from the sky in a moment that can only be described as wonderment. There are times when the leaves descend so hard and so fast, it is possible to become buried in only a few minutes' time if you found yourself lying beside the rough trunk of the tree. I remember one morning with particular fondness. It was a Saturday. My sister and I awoke to a windless morning and raining leaves. We ate our breakfasts in record time, spending the rest of the morning beneath the trees playing and laughing and reveling in the innocence of the moment.

Every year since then, as I watched the changing of the leaves from green to gold, I wished and hoped the leaves wouldn't drop while I was away. I was afraid to miss the moment. To miss the simple magic only fallen leaves could bring.

Pear Crisp is a sincere dessert to enjoy after a day spent in the autumn sun. The flavor of the crisp is clean and pure. The pears are roasted in brown sugar and vanilla (with a hint of bourbon, if you dare) while the crumble topping shines with a combination of oats and sliced almonds. Though I love to steal bites of cold pear crisp from the refrigerator, this dessert can be served hot with a side of ice cream to warm up cold noses and chilled ears.

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Brown Butter Pear Muffins

Pears are easily one of the most delicate fruits. The elegant teardrop shape bruises with the push of a thumb. A ripe pear is elusive; always too firm or over ripe, it can make finding a beautifully ripened pear feel like winning a small lottery. The juice is sweet, the flesh is soft, and the subtle fruit, once dangling from a branch in an orchard, is suddenly capable of stealing a moment.

In the fall, I love to fill my grocery basket with apples and pears. The two fruits contrast nicely against one another—one fruit firm, the other one soft, one sweet, one tart—but it is the pear I look forward to most. Cut into at just the right moment, it can taste like a work of art.

Pears, chocolate, and brown butter is a flavor combination I've visited before. In the early years of this blog, when the photography was embarrassing and my ability to weave a story was just developing, I made a Bittersweet Chocolate Pear Cake for one. I had just moved to a new country on my own, in a city where I didn't speak the language. Settling into my new apartment, I started by emptying my suitcases, assembling the new furniture delivered from IKEA, and purchasing a gallon of gray paint to cover the orange on my bedroom walls.

Before popping open the lid on the paint can, I went to the kitchen and turned on the oven.

As I spent the next few days locked up in my room with a paintbrush in hand, I alternated between listening to music and the rhythmic French voices in the apartment below mine. The cake I had made just for myself was eaten in slivers, with a fork to carve out the pieces instead of a knife. Over the course of painting and unpacking, I created a new beginning for myself, starting a new chapter to fill out the pages of my new life.

Though the cake was a simple cake with sincere flavors, the cake intertwined itself into the memories of those early moments of a life on my own. I can only look back on those days fondly, remembering the forkfuls stolen as the sun was rising and my neighbor's voices drifted in through the open windows.

Brown Butter Pear Muffins are a healthier take on a memorable cake. The depth of flavor comes from the browned butter, which has a rich nuttiness and complexity. Freshly diced pears are added to the batter along with enough miniature chocolate chips to bring in a subtle chocolate flavor without becoming overwhelming. I left the skins on the pears as a personal preference, but you can easily peel them if you choose. The muffins hold more flavor than they appear, rounding out any breakfast or afternoon snack.

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Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake

Fall is in full swing. The air is brisk and the season of long knit scarves is here. Some days I feel as if I need to wear two just to keep my insides warm and toasty. I don't mind the chill of fall; as a matter of fact, I love the cool frost of autumn just until the leaves finish changing and fall, crumpled, at the bottom of the tree. Fall begins to wear on me as soon as the weatherman starts bringing up a certain four letter s-word.

You know, snow.

When the ground is littered with autumn leaves, I'm always reminded of my favorite fall flavors. Certainly pumpkin, ginger, and cinnamon top the list, but another, perhaps more subtle flavor, captures my heart. I am, of course, talking about pears. Early fall marks the beginning of pear season. Although pears are available year round, October is the month where pears truly start to radiate with beauty.

Recently, I have fallen in love with Bosc pears. They remind me of still life paintings—forbidden to touch, but beautiful to admire. I was afraid for many years to hold them (as silly as this sounds), because they didn't look real to me. The color, a natural cinnamon kissed brown, and the shading was just so. They stuck out in the supermarket like a sore thumb, fantasy juxtaposed against a consumer reality, and I danced around them, choosing the Bartlett or Green Anjou instead.

Last fall, while perusing a farmer's market, I came across a newly ripened batch. The necks and stems were long and graceful, with no unsightly marks in sight. I was drawn to these pears and they followed me around the market, as if they knew it was time we both sat down at a table together. I bought them, wrapped them carefully against the cold, and gave them a home on my kitchen counter. It was love of the edible sort.

Pear and chocolate have consistently been one of my favorite combinations. When I saw this cake from Honey & Jam, I knew I had to make it. When inspiration strikes, it strikes hard. Less than a few hours later, I could be found at the store, admiring the selection of pears, no longer afraid to reach for the alluring Bosc.

This Pear & Almond Chocolate Spice Cake holds the essence of fall in each slice. Chocolate cake batter is spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg, before diced pears and chopped almonds are folded into the batter. The cake bakes up with a fragrant smell that will linger long after the cake leaves the oven. As the cake cools, a pear cider glaze is poured over the top, which gives the cake a brilliant sheen and a flavor that soaks deep into the cake. If you love pears as I do, this cake will leave you feeling warm and content after a walk in the cool outdoors.

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