Pear-Ginger Crisp

2 1/2 lb firm pears
juice of one lemon
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C sweet marsala (or port or fruit juice)
1/4 C chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 C golden raisins
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash salt
2 Tbls butter

'Crisp' topping (streusel)
2/3 C flour
3 Tbls sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 Tbls butter

Make crisp topping: Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed a baking sheet with parchment. Mix dry ingredients. Cut butter into small chunks. Add butter; mix on low speed until crumbly. Spread on baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until streusel is golden at edges; stir. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes until golden all over. Remove from oven and let cool.

Increase oven temp to 375°.

Peel and core pears; cut into 1" chunks. Gently mix in large bowl with lemon juice. Coat a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.

Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a 3-4 quart pan. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar begins to brown (4-7 minutes). Swirling pan occasionally, boil 1-2 minutes more until sugar is golden brown. Remove from heat, let cool 30 seconds. Gently stir in pears; sugar will thicken. Return pan to heat and cook, stirring occasionally until sugar melts again, 2-3 minutes.

Add marsala, ginger, raisins, vanilla and salt. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until pears are just tender, 8-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to baking dish. Add butter to pan and cook until melted. Spoon over pears. Scatter streusel over pears.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until fruit is bubbling. Let cool about 10 minutes. Server warm with vanilla ice cream.