About 650 g prepared pears, peeled, cored and cut into roughly 3 cm chunks
100 g caster sugar
100 ml water
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp lime juice
A few fine scrapes of lemon zest
Vanilla (see Notes)
10–15 g butter
Crumble
225 g plain flour
45 g caster sugar
45 g demerara sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp ground ginger
115 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
About 1½ tbsp demerara sugar, for the top
Method
Put the 100 g caster sugar and 100 ml water into a wide pan and bring to the boil.
Add the pear chunks and reduce to a gentle simmer.
After a few minutes, add the ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp lime juice.
Continue cooking gently until the pears are just fork-tender but still holding their shape.
Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the baking dish.
Keep the remaining pear syrup on the heat and reduce it until it is glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leave a clean trail when you run a finger through it.
Take the syrup off the heat. Stir in a few fine scrapes of lemon zest, the vanilla and 10–15 g butter until glossy.
Drizzle just enough of the reduced pear syrup over the pears to lightly coat them. Reserve the remainder for serving.
Make the crumble by rubbing the 225 g flour, 45 g caster sugar, 45 g demerara sugar, pinch of salt, 1 tsp ground ginger and 115 g cold butter together with your fingertips. Keep a mixture of fine crumbs, small lumps and some deliberately larger pieces.
Cover the pears with the crumble mixture.
Sprinkle approximately 1½ tbsp demerara sugar evenly over the surface.
Bake at 200°C conventional / 180°C fan until the crumble is well browned and the larger pieces are becoming deeply golden, approximately 25–30 minutes.
