PEAR PIE WITH BREAD-CRUMB CRUNCH

Consider this our homage to the Brown Betty, a classic American dessert of sweetened, sliced fruit baked among and under buttery bread crumbs. We’ve spread the filling out into a slab pie, then topped it with the bread crumbs, so that they don’t go soggy as quickly as they do in the traditional version. Some slab pies can be “hand desserts,” served on a napkin at an outdoor picnic. Not this one. You’ll need forks and plates.

For the pie

10 ripe, medium Bartlett pears, stemmed, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 8 cups)

1½ cups granulated white sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup instant tapioca

1 teaspoon ground dried ginger

½ teaspoon salt

Single-crust version of All-Butter Crust

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F.

2. Mix the pears, sugar, flour, tapioca, ginger, and salt in a large bowl until the pear slices are evenly coated. Set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare and shape the crust as directed in a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan.

4. Stir the mixture, then spread it into the prepared crust. Do not wash the bowl.

For the crunch

5 cups fresh bread crumbs

1 cup pine nuts, finely chopped

10 tablespoons (or 1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1. Mix the bread crumbs, pine nuts, melted butter, brown sugar, and nutmeg in the bowl used for the filling until evenly moistened and uniform. Squeeze it into lumps and crumble these into very small bits and sandy leftovers across the top of the filling.

2. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. If the topping begins to brown too deeply, cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil but uncover it for the last couple of minutes of baking so the topping dries out. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

TESTER NOTES

The best crumbs for this topping are four or five plain hamburger buns (no seeds or flavorings), cut into chunks, frozen, and ground in the food processor.