I need to make another pear dessert this weekend...

I am considering this pear crisp https://food52.com/recipes... but I would like to incorporated the leftover frozen cranberries from the pear/cranberry/ginger tart of a few weeks ago. (you might detect a trend in my recent contributions to Sunday lunches). I have about a cup of frozen cranberries left over languishing in the freezer. Do I just throw them in pears and sugar? Adjust amount of sugar? Is this a bad idea considering lemon in the crisp? I am lately considered a culinary genius by my Sunday lunch friends thanks to Food 52 and a good supply of pears.

caninechef
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8 Comments

caninechef February 13, 2017
Thank you every one for helpful comments. I added cranberries but no extra sugar and it turned out well. I thought the crystalized ginger in this filling really made it special. I did bake this in one dish so maybe not quite as pretty but very well received. The cranberries provided a spot of color and some added tartness. I was baking in the early AM so I grated zest and chopped ginger the night before and just tossed the frozen cranberries in with those items to defrost overnight.
 
PieceOfLayerCake February 11, 2017
Depends. Taste the cranberries...are the tart enough to be welcome or warrant a bit of extra sugar? I think lemon and cranberry go very well together. When I bake with cranberries, I more often than not make them into a compote to which I add lemon zest and juice. I do generally offset the tartness with quite a bit of sugar though (in comparison to other fruit compotes). If you decide to use them without needing extra sweetness, I'd just add them with the pear.
 
ktr February 10, 2017
I think it sounds like a great addition. I have tossed them in apple crisp before. I did not decrease the sugar.
 
caninechef February 10, 2017
Thanks for the ideas but at this point I am more interested in the cranberry issue.
 
Nancy February 12, 2017
Oops, wrong emphasis.
Agree with POLC
 
Nancy February 10, 2017
For variation on a theme, make your pear crisp with different than usual herbs and spices...not vanilla and cinnamon, but yes one or more of fresh ginger, star anise, coriander seeds, cardamon...all of which go well with pears.
 
Ted February 10, 2017
I just started salivating reading your list of spices. (Reaching for my journal to make a note...)
 
SMSF February 10, 2017
Love those spices - great idea!
 
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