Roasting is a wonderful method to coax out the natural sweetness of fruit and enhance its flavor. Apples and pears are excellent candidates for roasting, as many varieties keep their shape without dissolving into mushiness during the cooking process. This recipe relies on the sturdy pear, but apples can be substituted.
The flavors of this dessert may be likened to those of a fruit crumble, which is a squidgy chopped-fruit dish seasoned with sugar and spice and finished with a streusel topping. In this recipe, the pears remain intact. They are simply halved and cored, which creates a handy and tasty vessel for the oat and walnut streusel topping mounded in their centers. They are then baked until fork-tender but still firm. The results are wholesome—but not overly so, with a shower of warm spices and a crunchy crumble topping.
