No-Bake Apple-Pear Crumble

While watching Iron Chef, I felt inspired to be creative. At 10:30 at night. With what I had in my kitchen. With only a stovetop (our oven is currently out of order). This is my 10-minute take on a crumble.

Ingredients:
~2 tbs. butter
~4 tbs. brown sugar
~1 medium sized apple, cored and chopped (skins left on)
~1 red pear, cored and chopped (skins left on)
~dash nutmeg
~dash ground clove
~dash cinnamon
~1 packet instant apple cinnamon oatmeal

1. In a medium-sized skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and stir to create a thin glaze texture.
2. Add apples, pears, and spices and cook until softened.
3. Strain out fruit and add to ramekins. Leave the sauce in the pan.
4. Add oatmeal packet to sauce and stir to soften. Add topping to fruit and serve!

Roasted Parsnip & Pear Soup (or The Parsnip in the Pear Tree, as I like to call it)

This is not for those who lack patience - this soup is not hard to make, but it IS time-consuming. However, it is totally worth it.

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
~1 and 1/2 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
~2 tbsp. olive oil
~3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
~1/4 tsp. salt
~1/8 tsp. pepper
~3 medium pears, peeled and chopped
~3 medium leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced (to clean leeks, put slices in a bowl of water, swish around and let dirt sink to the bottom)
~2 celery ribs, chopped
~1/4 cup butter, cubed
~3 shallots, chopped
~6 cups chicken broth
~1/4 cup maple syrup
~1 bay leaf
~1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
~1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
GARNISH:
~2 tbsp. butter
~2 tsp. brown sugar
~1/8 tsp. ground cumin
~1/8 tsp. ground coriander
~2 medium pears, thinly sliced

1. In a large bowl, toss the parsnips with oil, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Layer on a greased baking sheet and bake, uncovered, at 425 for 25 minutes.
2. Stir in pears, bake for 20 minutes longer or until parsnips are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. In a soup pot, cook the leeks, celery, and shallots in butter over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until tender. Stir in the broth, maple syrup, bay leaf, and parsnip mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
4. Cool slightly and discard bay leaf. In a food processor, puree soup until smooth. Return to soup pot and stir in cream. Heat through.
5. For garnish: in a large skillet, heat the butter, sugar, cumin, and coriander until sugar is melted, stirring occasionally. Add pears and saute for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Arrange over servings of soup.

You do not want to skip the pear garnish! They are a delight on their own - so delicious.