Ingredients
- 6 firm pears, peeled and sliced
- 100 ml Quebec maple syrup
- 15 g cornstarch
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 140 g flour
- 100 g rolled oats
- 90 g cold butter
- 80 ml Quebec maple syrup (topping)
- 50 g chopped hazelnuts
- pinch salt
Method
- Preheat oven to 175°C.
- Toss pears with 100 ml syrup, cornstarch, lemon and cardamom; spread in dish.
- Rub flour, oats, butter, 80 ml syrup, hazelnuts and salt into clumps.
- Cover fruit evenly with topping.
- Bake 40 min until crisp and bubbling at edges.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 70 g sugar in fruit + 100 g brown sugar in topping
Conversion used: Replace fruit sugar with 100 ml maple syrup + 15 g cornstarch; brown sugar in topping becomes 80 ml syrup with a touch less butter; oven from 190°C down to 175°C.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Cardamom and maple share warm-resinous compounds, making Quebec syrup a more coherent match for pear than neutral sugar, with a shorter local supply chain.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →