Fruit crisps have been around for years. They never seem to go out of style. Early Americans created fruit desserts with some very funny names like "pandowdy" or "buckle." The simpler named fruit crisp is nothing more than a mixture of fruit on the bottom and a layer of any kind of sweet crumbs on top. It can be as plain as buttered and sugared bread or as creative as the streusel topping below, composed with almonds, flour, autumn spices and melted butter. I like to use pumpkin pie spice to flavor the streusel since all of my favorite holiday spices are blended into one mix. This cuts down prep time.

This crisp is full of autumn goodness with juicy apples and pears and sweet dried cranberries. I wanted to add a modern twist to this classic dessert, so I came up with sandwiching vanilla custard between the fruit and the almond-flavored topping. A layer of a creme fraiche custard mixture makes a light layer between the fruit and the topping that come together in a spectacular combination of flavors and textures.

Serve this just out of the oven or room temperature. A scoop of French vanilla ice cream is the perfect accompaniment.

Tasty tips:

--You can vary this recipe by using only apples or pears with the dried cranberries.

--Use dried sweet Bing or sour cherries instead of the cranberries.

--Change out the almonds for pecans.

--Omit the layer of creme fraiche custard for a lighter version.

Advance preparation: This may be prepared 8 hours ahead, covered and kept at room temperature before serving. Reheat in a 375 F oven for 10 minutes before serving.

Apple, Pear and Dried Cranberry Custard Crisp

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