Pear-Apple Gratin Gloria

° Serves 6

When I was working in restaurants, sometimes I would collect the leftover stale cakes, croissants, Danish pastries, muffins, pound cakes, pies, and cookies from the prior day to make—with great success—desserts like crumbles, brown Betty, bread pudding, and the like.

We always have fruit at our house, everything from bananas to apples, plums, peaches, and pears and after a few days, some of them get a bit overripe or wrinkled. Then it’s time to use them in this recipe, which will vary greatly based on what fruit and baked goods you use, but the overall result is pretty consistent. I add preserves to the mix; sugar can be added or the preserves omitted from the recipe, depending on the sweetness lent by the other ingredients. This dessert is excellent with hard sauce, ice cream, whipped cream, or sour cream, as well as on its own.

• 1 pear (about 10 ounces), peeled, halved, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• 1 apple (about 10 ounces), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• About 8 ounces baked goods, such as a mix of croissants, Danish pastry, pound cake, muffins, pies, cookies, scones, and/or bread cut or broken into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
• ⅓ cup cherry or apricot preserves
• ⅓ cup golden raisins
• ¾ cup apple or orange juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Garnish
• 1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• A few sprigs of mint, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the pear, apple, and remaining ingredients (except the garnishes) in a bowl until well combined. Spoon into a 6-cup gratin dish and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the fruits are very soft and the top is well browned. Serve warm, with crème fraîche and mint sprigs.