Trees of impossibly sweet Warren pears are ripening on Frog Hollow Farm right now, just outside of San Francisco. I've seen them, breathed in their perfume and eaten them right off the tree. I love these pears. For the next two weeks, the only place you’ll find these fruits is on Taste and I couldn’t be more excited about it—I love Farmer Al’s style, from his movie-star-in-overalls look to his farming philosophy.
On a recent visit, it occured to me that his rules could in fact be applied to software engineering and product development:
- Prototype and iterate. Farmer Al has a handful of ongoing experiments around what kind of compost ingredients result in the sweetest fruit flavor. One pile has coffee, one pile has egg, one pile has peaches, and all are tested separately.
- Start small to get something out there. Farmer Al started with 13 acres 30 years ago and has expanded the farm over time to 130 acres. Starting with peaches, he now grows pears, tomatoes, produces converses, pastries and other secret experiments we can’t talk about yet.
- Know your customer. Mickey Drexler, CEO and founder of JCrew is a fan of Farmer Al and his famous, organic peaches (and claims to have discovered them before anyone else). Al knows the flavor profile Mickey loves and makes sure his peach box matches his taste.
I've found the best way to eat a ripe pear is raw, standing up under the shade of its tree, with the sweet juice of the fruit dripping down your arm. The second best way? This delicious, bubbling pear crisp—the perfect ending to a fall dinner party (and a pretty fantastic breakfast, if you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers).
Warren Pear and Huckleberry Crisp
Adapted from Alice Waters, Chez Panisse
Serves 10
For the topping:
1 1/3 cup flour
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup slivered almonds, plus a handful for garnish
3 ounces butter, chilled
For the filling:
6 Warren pears
1 cup huckleberries
1 ½ Tablespoon flour
¼ cup sugar
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Preheat oven to 400°F and get started on the topping. Put the flour, sugar, cinnamon, almonds and salt into a food processor. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the topping gets moistened through and crumbly. (If working by hand, add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it is resembles wet sand.)
- For the filling, peel and dice the pears then toss in a large bowl with the huckleberries, flour, sugar, lemon zest and juice.
- To assemble, spoon fruit into a 9-inch-by-8-inch baking dish and cover with topping (or spoon into several small oven-proof ramekins, if making individual crisps). Add a sprinkling of slivered almonds on top and bake until the topping is golden brown and the edges are bubbling, about 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of sweetened, softly whipped cream.
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