Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180 C or 350 F and generously line a 24-26 cm (9-inch baking dish with butter. I like to use a ceramic dish and serve the crumble from it but don’t be too worried about the precise size of the pan, as long as it fits all the pears with adequate room for the crumb topping.

Step 2

If you haven’t already, peel the pears, then cut them into quarters, making sure to remove the core. The pears should be ripe, so that they soften while baking. Additionally the sweeter the pears, the better the crumble, since no sugar goes into the fruit portion. Roughly chop the pears into pieces around 1.5 cm (2/3 inch) big.

Step 3

Next, tip the pears into a medium sized bowl, and sprinkle the lemon juice and cornstarch on top. The cornstarch helps thicken the pear juices, but I’ve also made this recipe without it and it works fine: the juices might be slightly more runny but this is not necessarily an issue.

Step 4

Mix the ingredients together until well-combined. Spoon the pear mixture into your prepared baking dish and set aside.

Step 5

To make the crumble, begin by chopping the nuts into bite size pieces (think the size of mini chocolate chips). Tip the nuts into a medium sized bowl, along with the flour, oats, brown sugar and salt.

Step 6

Add the butter to the mixture, and work it in using a fork or a pastry cutter until thoroughly combined.  The mixture should resemble a coarse dough, but should still clump together slightly.

Step 7

Using your fingers, spread the crumble mixture evenly on top of the fruit, breaking up the larger clumps. Place into the oven and bake till the edges are bubbly and the top is a beautiful golden brown, around 40-45 min. Let the crumble cool for several minutes before serving.

Step 8

Enjoy warm, with a serving of vanilla ice cream.

Step 9

Storing: Although this stores well for a few days if refrigerated, it does get a bit soggy. So the crumble is best straight from the oven, when the crumble topping is nice and crisp.