Apple & Pear Crisp with Dates and Halva

I first made this recipe from Kristin Donnelly’s awesome book, Modern Potluck, a few years ago and it instantly became my all-time favorite apple crisp. While I have made it (and loved it!) with all apples; apples and pears without dates; and various combinations in between, I truly believe Kristin’s recipe cannot be beat if you follow her fruit proportions to the letter.

That being said, I do change one thing in her recipe…I replace the honey and sugar she calls for in the filling with Cara-Sel. This is actually something I do in all manner of crisps and crumbles and I will give you a basic formula for “any crisp” at the end of this post.

A note on the halva: I am a huge fan of Seed + Mill’s sesame products and always use their halva (which you can purchase at their NYC shop, various retailers throughout the country, and online). You should also be able to find other brands of halva (sometimes spelled halvah) in the deli or Kosher section of your local supermarket.

Apple & Pear Crisp with Dates and Halva

Ingredients

unsalted butter, for the pan
2 lbs mixed apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into large chunks
2 lbs pears, peeled, cored, and chopped into large chunks
8-12 dates, pitted and finely chopped (optional)
2 oz (¼ cup) Cara-Sel caramel
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp Kosher salt

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 (3 ½ oz) stick halva (about ½ cup), broken into chunks (if you can’t find halva simply increase the butter and sugar by ¼ cup each)

instructions

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 9x13” baking pan.
In a large bowl, toss the apples, pears, and dates with the caramel, lemon juice, and salt. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.
In a bowl, combine the flour with the oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add the butter and halva and use your fingers to work it into the flour until it resembles coarse meal. Press the topping into clumps, and then scatter it over the filling.
Bake for about 50 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the top is a deep golden brown.
Let cool for at least 20 minutes (assuming you can handle the anticipation), and then serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy as is or with a creamy accompaniment like plain full-fat yogurt, vanilla ice cream, or a slug of straight heavy cream poured on top (my favorite way).

NOTE: The crisp tastes best the day it is made, but can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. It is great rewarmed, but I must admit that I have been caught standing in front of the fridge, eating it cold directly from the container.

Fruit Crisp Formula

I have been making fruit crisps with Cara-Sel for years, either swapping out sweetener in recipes or straight up winging it. It's so easy and delicious that I wanted to come up with a formula to share so that you, too, can enjoy this minimal effort, high reward treat. Here are my amounts for a crisp that bakes up in about 50 minutes at 350º in a buttered 9x13 pan.