Pumpkin Crumble "Pie" w/ Vanilla Whipped Cream

It's no secret that I'm a lazy baker.  Well, a lazy person in general.

I don't like walking places, I'd much rather drive (or bike to save the environment).

I'd rather take a nap then go sightseeing,

and I tend to making the same simple recipes over and over.

My brother calls me "The Laziest Atheletic Person"

When I'm inspired, I'm completely different.  I can stay up all night making a four layer cake, sprint constantly during a soccer game, and bake 5 dozen cupcakes to sell for charity.

Yeah...except last night I wanted pumpkin pie.  I really wanted pumpkin pie.  I had just had two soccer games, was feeling lazier than ever, and I wanted pumpkin pie.  So I made pumpkin pie. 
Kinda.

Let me introduce you to Pumpkin Crumble.  It's what happens when you combine pumpkin pie and apple crumble.  It's easy to make.  And there's no finicky pie dough.  Hurrah! 

For the pumpkin pie filling, I used a recipe I had been eyeing for a while. It was good, but slightly overcooked (my fault!)   The crumble recipe I used is my "go to" crumble recipe.  The crumble was absolutely delicious!  Crunchy, sweet, and cinnamony. The crumble slightly sunk into the pie filling while baking, which I figure could be solved by slightly baking the filling before spreading the crumble over it, but I wouldn't bother with that.  This recipe is suppose to be simple, so let it be just that. :)

Oh, and all these pictures were taken by my new SLR camera (Canon Rebel T1i)!  So far, the images are so much crisper on my new camera.  :) It's been rather muggy lately so the lighting wasn't great when I took these photos, but I'm hoping next week there will be more sun (and more rain!).

Pumpkin Crumble Pie

Ingredients:

1 recipe pumpkin pie filling [here]

1 recipe crumble [below]

1 recipe whipped cream [below]

Pour the pumpkin pie filling into a buttered 9 inch round ceramic or glass cake pan, and gently sprinkle the crumble on top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes more, or until the filling is set, but the center still jiggles when shook.  Chill until completely cold, and dollop with whipped cream before serving.

Cinnamon Crumble:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, chilled (1/2 a stick)

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Cut the butter in with a fork or your fingertips, until completely combined.  (if you use your hands, be careful not to melt the butter)

Vanilla Whip Cream

Ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbs powder sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until soft peaks form.

Pear Sorbet

It's pear season.  And back to school season (well, a little bit after that).

That means:
a.  school=no free time=no updating blog
b. pears=sorbet
c. school=blog being neglected!
d. pears=sorbet
e. school=blog becoming a coffin
f. pears=sorbet

So, in an attempt to revive my blog, I'm here today to share some great news!  First of all, I *might* get an DSLR camera for my birthday (Canon Rebel) and secondly it's pear season, which means s-o-r-b-e-t.   I don't know about you, but in my opinion there's nothing better for getting the mind off school related stress then watching pear puree churn into delicious sorbet.  Seriously.  It's hypnotic.

So, if you're like me and facing stress right now, just scroll down a little bit, whip out an ice cream maker, grab some organic pears, and make some delicious pear sorbet.

Pear Sorbet

adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

4 ripe pears, pealed cored *note: I used two Red Anjou pears (& didn't peel them) to get the peachy color.
1 1/4 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Cut the pears into 1 inch cubes, and place in a nonreactive saucepan with 1/2 cup of water.  Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes until soft, and beginning to caramelize.
Let the pears cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a blender or food processor with the remaining 3/4 cup water, sugar, and lemon juice.  Blend until completely smooth.
Chill until cold (don't churn it unless completely refrigerated) and then process in an ice cream machine.
Scoop into a container and freeze for another couple hours until as hard as desired.