I was looking for a recipe to use the pears from the tree in our backyard. This seemed to fit with the ingredients I had on hand. Based on others' reviews, I made the following adaptations: I omitted the lemon zest and nutmeg, and added 1/2 tsp. ginger and 1 extra Tbs. sugar. (I used fresh lemon juice.) I put the filling in the dish and baked it, covered with foil, just until the pears began to soften, probably about 15 minutes. THEN I added the topping and baked another 15-20 minutes until the topping was crisp and nicely browned. This way I was assured that the pears, which were very firm, were fully cooked. We really loved this. The filling, as I adapted it, was very good. The spices did not overpower the pears but enhanced their flavor. However, I only gave this four stars because I used my own fruit crisp topping, so I can't say how the topping in this recipe comes out. (HINT: Diners who smoke and/or drink alcohol need more seasoning in their food. Take that into consideration when trying/adapting new recipes.) We liked the filling so much that I made the filling again the next morning, only this time I threw everything into our big ol' blender and blended it all up until smooth (just the filling, not the topping ingredients). The result was a very tasty fresh pear butter which we poured over buckwheat pancakes for breakfast. I didn't have to cook it into a syrup--I preferred getting the benefits of fresh fruit for breakfast. Yum!

Just didn't turn out like I hoped it would. Had to cook it longer and that made the crumb mixture tough. Taste good though, after sating a while put in microwave to soften crumbs and it helped, not great but some better.

Made exactly like recipe and it was great. Next time I think I'll use a little more butter in the topping.

Good recipe, but not "5-stars good." I would make alterations to this recipe, such as: flouring the pears, increasing the amount of cinnamon, omitting the lemon juice and peel, and adding an apple.

this was fantastic! added frozen cranberries!

Awesome recipe!! Super delicious and moist, best served warm. I added a tiny bit extra cinnamon and sugar and more pears because I like SWEET! Guests loved it and so did I!!!:) Will definately make again and again!!!

My coworkers RAVED about this at my office potluck. Many of them have dietary restrictions, and this recipes was healthier than the many crisps that use canned pears. It was a little bland to me, but nobody else seemed to notice. I did use butter instead of margarine.

very good! Didn't have a lemon so used orange juice which worked fine. Served for brunch with a dollop of vanilla yogurt- yum!

This was good, although I found a bit dry. I think next time I'd use a bit more lemon juice with the pear mixture. I used oil instead of margarine and it was fine.

I had some pears that the skins were a little bruised that I wanted to use up. This was the perfect recipe. I didn't use the lemon zest, but it was fine without it. I also used butter in place of the margarine, which worked really well also. Will defintely make this again.