Christmas Fruit Crisp

We enjoy a fruit crisp at our house.  We make them from fresh fruit or from home canned, with lots and lots of crumbly oatmeal topping on both the top and the bottom of the dish.  They are a popular dessert with us, and every bit as popular for breakfast the following morning. 

When my fella suggested that I make a fruit crisp recipe using cranberries and orange, I was happy to oblige and I'm so glad I did:  Yumminess here!

To make Christmas Fruit Crisp, you'll need:

• 2 large pears (I used red Bartletts but any pears you like will work here)
• 2 apples 
• 1 orange
• 2 cups of cranberries (I used frozen)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup quick cooking tapioca
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups uncooked oatmeal (not instant)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Peel the apples and pears and cut them up into bite-sized pieces.  (I like some texture, so I try not to cut them too small.)  

Zest the orange, and squeeze the juice from it.

Add the orange zest, orange juice, cranberries, sugar, and quick cooking tapioca to the pan and stir them together.

Allow the fruit to sit for a few minutes so that the sugar can draw some of the juice out.

Once there is a little juice at the bottom of the pan, set the pan on medium low heat.  Allow the contents to heat through and come to a boil.  Stir the pot now and again so that the fruit doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

While the fruit is cooking, make the oatmeal crumble.

Melt the butter in a small pot or in the microwave.

Mix the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.

Pour the melted butter over the oatmeal mixture and stir it until the butter is worked through and the mixture is crumbly.

Place a layer of the crumb mixture in the bottom of a baking pan or oven proof casserole.  (I used a 10 x 6-inch Pyrex loaf pan, 6 inches deep, but if I were presenting this dish at the table I'd choose something more decorative.)

Spread the fruit over the bottom layer of oatmeal crumble.

Top the fruit with more oatmeal crumble, pressing it gently into place.

(I ended up with about 1/3 of the crumble topping left over.  It freezes well, so I packed it in a ziploc bag and stored it away for use in another dish.  I'd advise that you make the full batch even though I had some left over.  If your dish is a different shape from my loaf pan, you may need more topping to fill it.)

Bake the crisp at 350F for 20 to 30 minutes, until the topping is browned and the ingredients heated through.

Christmas Fruit Crisp is best served warm.  Store leftovers in the fridge and use them up within 3 or 4 days.