Author Notes: Crisp is pie’s shabby-chic, laid-back cousin who opts for hugs over
handshakes. Recipes vary on: baking dish (I like a 9” cake pan for its depth); fruit thickness (I like slouchy but not runny); and streusel amount (I like a thick blanket). What they have in common is that they’re sweet. Like, super sweet. Enter our workaround: Toss the pears with freshly ground black pepper for floral, warm spice. Salt the oat streusel, generously. And instead of serving with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, just set out some cream—or, you know, a lot of cream—to pour and pour on top.

Black Pepper Pear Crisp with Salted Oat Streusel

Serves 6 to 8

Crisp

• Unsalted butter, for greasing
• 4firm d'anjou pears (about 2 1/2 pounds), chopped into 1" chunks (about 5 1/2 cups)
• 1/2cup sugar
• 2 1/2tablespoons cornstarch
• 1tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4teaspoon kosher salt
• Heavy cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 9” cake pan with unsalted butter. Set it on a lined sheet tray.
2. Make the fruit filling. Combine the pears, sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, black pepper, and salt in a bowl. Gingerly toss with a spoon (or your hands!) until combined. Pour into the prepared cake pan.

Streusel

• 1 1/2cups rolled oats, divided
• 1/2cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2teaspoons kosher salt
• 6ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold, cubed

1. Add 1 cup oats, plus the flour, sugar, and salt to a food processor. Pulse a couple times just to combine. Sprinkle the butter evenly over the dry ingredients. Continue to pulse until a dough just begins to form—sort of like a shaggy cookie dough. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup oats by hand.
2. Evenly distribute the streusel on top of the fruit. Don’t worry if its texture is uneven—big clumps here, little crumbs there—that’s just what we want.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes until the streusel is deeply browned and the fruit juice is bubbly and slightly thick. Wait at least 20 minutes to serve warm. Or, let sit out for hours and serve at room temperature. Or, if any leftovers last until tomorrow morning, meet your new favorite breakfast. In any case: serve with lots of cream.

https://food52.com/recipes/74825-black-pepper-pear-crisp-with-salted-oat-streusel