Photo of Pear crisp with star anise by WW

Pear crisp with star anise

3
Points® value
Total Time
1 hr
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy
Star anise is a star-shaped, dark brown pod. It lends wonderful, strong, almost licorice-like flavor to baked goods. If you can’t find it ground, you can also substitute Chinese five-spice powder in this recipe. The star anise goes particularly well with the other ingredients featured here, like ripe pears, dark brown sugar, brandy, and old-fashioned oats. The crumb topping comes together in minutes thanks to the convenience of using a food processor, and it tastes great with nearly any kind of fruit. After it bakes, the aroma will be irresistible, but if you have the patience or are otherwise too busy with dinner, you can let it hang out at room temperature until you're ready to serve dessert.

Ingredients

Bartlett pear

5 medium, or Anjou, cored, cut in 1/4-inch-thick slices

Dark brown sugar

¼ cup(s)

Fresh lemon juice

½ tbsp(s)

Brandy

¼ fl oz, regular or pear variety (1/2 Tbsp)

Uncooked old fashioned oats

¼ cup(s)

Star anise

½ tsp(s), finely ground

Ground cinnamon

½ tsp(s)

Table salt

¼ tsp(s)

Unsalted butter

1 tbsp(s), melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Place pears in 8-inch-square baking dish; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons brown sugar. Drizzle lemon juice and brandy over top; gently toss to coat and arrange pear slices in even layer.
  3. Combine oats, remaining brown sugar, flour, star anise, cinnamon, and salt in food processor; pulse a few times to blend. Add butter; pulse until mixture is crumbly, then scatter mixture evenly over pears.
  4. Bake until pears are tender and top is golden and bubbling, about 45 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; serve warm or at room temperature.
  5. Serving size: 1 piece