Pear and Cranberry Crisp

FILLING

 3 ripe pears

 1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce

 3 tablespoons sugar

 1 tablespoon lemon juice

 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

CRISP TOPPING

 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 8 or 10 pieces

 Pinch of salt

 1 teaspoon milk

DIRECTIONS

Show your child how to grease an oven proof pan, smearing the butter with crumpled waxed

paper to keep her hands clean.

If your child is old enough to use a knife, have her dice the pears. Halve the pears first and

then hollow out the cores with a spoon. Place the pears flat side down on a cutting board and

dice them. Measure 3-1/2 cups of the diced pears into a mixing bowl. Enjoy any extra pieces

as a snack. 

Tip: When dicing pears, show your child that it's important to keep her fingers away from

the blade and to cut straight down, not on a slant.

Add the remaining filling ingredients to the bowl with the pears, mixing well. Heat the oven to

375 degrees. Meanwhile, combine all of the topping ingredients except the milk in a large bowl.

Have your child rub together the ingredients with her fingertips to create large buttery crumbs.

Drizzle the milk over the mixture to moisten it, sprinkle the topping evenly over the pan, patting

it down lightly.

Bake the crisp for 30 to 35 minutes or until they start to bubble and the topping is golden

brown. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before eating. Serves 4.