Trapped in my car with a pear crisp

Okay, "trapped" may be a bit of an exaggeration. There is nothing preventing me from getting out of the car.

I am in the car outside Starbucks (sipping my latte) and contemplating going to the office with the pear crisp. Unfortunately, the office has been inundated with fruit flies (apparently they procreated exponentially overnight), and the concept of bring in any food (let alone a fruit dessert), is a little off-putting. I want people to ENJOY the crisp, not be disgusted by it.

The alternative, though, keeping it to myself in the car (I do have forks), is not really an option. Not an advisable option, anyway.

So I guess I am going to brave the infestation and hope I can convince people to find a fly-free corner and enjoy a piece of the pear crisp.

I'm having some, anyway. Even if I have to take it out to my car!

*****

Speed work this morning—only moderately speedy. Started with 5-ish miles SLOW warm-up (this was the recovery pace I didn't find on Monday). Then six quarter-mile intervals, very short recovery in-between, at a pace varying from 7:53 (slowest) to 7:29 (fastest, and final). Finally jogged around the track, and home, and then around the block a couple times, for a total of 8.02 miles. This was my final run prior to the 15K on Saturday. Now rest, legs, rest!

*****

Pear crisp update—okay, the fruit fly situation is not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. Still, the crisp is nestled safely in the fridge, except for eating purposes. I had a piece, a very modest 1/16th of the pan (2" square), and it is deeelicious! So here's the recipe. It's originally from Cooking Light, so it's a little bit lower in calories than comparable recipes.

Harvest Pear Crisp

6 cups pears, cored and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 3 pounds)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup regular oats
¼ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine pears and lemon juice; toss gently to coat. Combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; stir with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pear mixture; toss well to coat. Pour pears into a 2-quart baking dish (e.g. 8" square pan; 9" square would be even better, if you can find one).

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add chilled butter; pulse 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add oats and walnuts; pulse 2 times. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over pear mixture.

Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until pears are tender and topping is golden brown. Cool 20 minutes on a wire rack; serve warm or at room temperature (possibly with light vanilla ice cream).

Nutrition info:

1/8 of pan (this is the recipe's recommended serving size): 285 calories

1/12 of pan: 190 calories

1/16 of pan (this would be a 2" piece like I had this morning): 145 calories

The whole pan: 2,280 calories (equivalent to a simple 20 mile run!)