Pear Crisps

There is only one ingredient in this recipe. One-ingredient recipes hardly exist in our style of cooking. Not even sugar or salt and pepper are needed to bring out the best in these pear crisps. Ellie Krieger’s instructions are: slice the pear very thinly lengthwise, using a mandoline. The slices were cut so thin I can hardly pick them up in one piece and transferred them onto the baking sheet.

But I proceeded with all the necessary steps. Bake them in the low-temperature oven (225°F in a convention setting and 200°F with convection heat). When it came time to turn the slices, the pear slices were too delicate to be messed with. I knew they would not be able to withstand any man- or woman-handling. So I left them alone and let them finish baking in the oven.

I was a little deflated. Two hours have come and gone. Didn’t look like there would be much to show for. Then I proceeded to start a new batch before the first batch finished baking. Feel free to experiment with different thickness in slicing the pear. Thinner slices get crunchier after baking. Thicker ones get more chewy. Slightly thinner than 1/8 of an inch seems to work best for me.

What I did not foresee was how beautiful and sturdy the crisps from the first batch (thinnest slices) turned out after they dried. The intricate pattern of the pear core was fully reviewed. These crisps were feather light. One gust of air would have blown them away. They are thin and light enough to be used like tuile cookies (but without the typical ingredients of sugar, flour, egg or butter) to adorn any dessert dish. A true revelation! One simple ingredient perfectly transformed into nature’s spectacular and healthful treats, as well as candies to our eyes and palate.

Bosc pear crisps

Postscript: My husband was so impressed with these healthful 100% pure fruit crisps. He made four trays of Honeycrisp apple and Bosc pear crisps late at night, given the oven temperature and other details I might have mentioned. Next morning, I found dishes of these beautiful crisps in the kitchen. (I was impressed he knew how to operate the oven. First time he’s ever used the dual-fuel convection oven.) They were perfection!