Indulge in the Heavenly Delight of Pear and Custard Pecan Crumble: A Taste Worth Sharing
Updated: Sep 24
There are some recipes you make once, enjoy, and promptly forget about.
And then there are the ones that quietly become your recipes ... This is one of those.
My husband is a huge fan of pears and, for years, I made the same pear cake on repeat because, apparently, when a man finds a cake he likes, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to look for another one.
A few years ago I decided enough was enough and went looking for something different.
That’s when I found this little beauty ... And it didn't just shake things up a bit — it earned itself a permanent place in my kitchen.
Soft pears, creamy custard and a very good crumble
This Pear and Custard Pecan Crumble is not a complicated pudding, and that's part of its charm. Ripe pears are baked beneath a layer of creamy custard, with cinnamon bringing a little warmth, before everything is covered in a buttery pecan crumble.
As the pears cook, their juices mingle with the custard, while the crumble turns golden and crisp on top. It's soft, creamy, crunchy and comforting all at once. Basically, pudding in its comfiest jumper ... And when my husband tried it for the first time? There was a full thirty seconds of silence. Not a word. Just those very satisfied little hmmm noises that tell you you've got dessert absolutely right. So, obviously, I had to share it ... A girl's got to be able to live with herself at the end of the day.
Pear, Custard & Pecan Crumble - The Recipe
Ingredients
For the filling
4–5 ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1 tin ready-made custard
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
A small pinch of salt
For the pecan crumble
75g pecans
125g plain flour
100g soft light brown sugar
25g granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
A small pinch of salt
110g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan.
Start with the crumble. Put the pecans into a food processor and pulse a few times. You don't want them pulverised — a little texture is rather lovely here.
Add the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt and pulse briefly to combine.
Add the cold butter and pulse again until you have a rough, pebbly crumble. Don't overwork it.
Now for the pears ... Arrange the sliced pears in an ovenproof baking dish and sprinkle over the cinnamon and tiny pinch of salt.
Pour the custard over the pears, making sure it finds its way down between them.
Scatter the pecan crumble generously over the top.
Pop it into the oven for 30–40 minutes, until the pears are tender, the custard is bubbling and the crumble is beautifully golden.
If the top is browning before the pears are cooked, loosely cover it with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
And then comes the hardest part ... Leave it alone. Let it cool for around 20–30 minutes before serving. You want it warm and spoonable rather than volcanic.
Serve it as it is, or with a little extra custard if you are firmly in the more custard is always the answer camp.
Jo's Kitchen Notes
Pears: This is a lovely way to use up pears that are ripe and fragrant but perhaps not quite pretty enough for the fruit bowl. You want them soft enough to cook down but not completely mushy.
The crumble: Don't blitz the pecans into dust. I like a little texture in the topping, so stop pulsing while there are still some tiny pieces of nut in there.
Custard: Ready-made custard makes this wonderfully easy. There is absolutely no prize for making custard from scratch when pudding is calling.
Make it your own: A little extra cinnamon is lovely, and if you're feeling particularly autumnal, a pinch of nutmeg would not be entirely unwelcome.
And finally... This is one of those puddings that feels like it should have taken far more effort than it actually did. Which, in my book, is exactly what a good pudding should do.
Continue Cooking With Me
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like:
