Strawberry & Plum Crumble

Winter is knocking. The first day of spring has officially come and gone and yet the threat of one last winter storm lingers. After celebrating the dawn of a new season with warm air pushing past our faces and the birds regaining their rightful place on the branches of the nearby trees, we're now left bracing for another snowstorm that threatens to keep us locked inside our homes. Again.

We've been playing with the thermostat in our house the last few days, shifting it back and forth from on to off to on like a teeter-totter. And the recipes that drift from the kitchen have turned to lighter fare and away from the foods that have warmed us and kept us company for the last few months. Spring has arrived but for one more day at least I'll be turning to an old friend.
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Blackberry & Pear Crumbles

I have a sweet tooth. Or three. I love being home on a cold afternoon and making something hot and sweet to satisfy my cravings for both. The idea that a simple recipe with minimal ingredients could transform into something outrageously tasty, decadent and warm is even more tantalizing. How could I resist? How could you?

This is one of those simple desserts that requires very little effort and absolutely no baking experience. Sound tempting yet? Just wait. The prep work takes about 10 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time for your oven to preheat. After the prep it's a simple trip to the oven and the transformation is nearly complete. Have some patience, it'll be worth it.

In this recipe I prefer sweating the pears with sugar until both bubbly and soft. The resulting taste is only enhanced with the tartness of the blackberries. Once slightly caramelized and soft I spoon the fruit into the base of my cooking pot. The fruit lay beneath a blanket of flour, butter and brown sugar with some tasty, crunchy pistachio nuts mixed in.

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