I made this crisp with ginger cookies and added crystallized ginger to the filling, but it's quite a versatile idea. You could try it with shortbread, or graham crackers, or any other crispy, crumbly cookie that sounds good to you. Try it with nutmeg and cloves, or almond extract, or orange zest.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 to 40 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1 can (29 oz.) pear halves in heavy syrup
4 Tbsp melted butter
1/3 cup golden raisins, optional
2 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 to 4 cups (about 8 to 10 oz.) ginger cookies
Sour cream, crème fraîche, or vanilla ice cream, optional

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the cookies in a plastic bag and crush into crumbs with a rolling pin or heavy skillet. You can make the crumbs uniformly fine, or somewhat chunky, depending on your preference. Drain the pears, reserving 1 cup of the syrup. Cut each pear half into 6 pieces. Put the pear pieces, reserved syrup, butter, raisins, crystallized ginger, and spices into a large bowl and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 4- or 5-cup capacity glass baking dish or gratin dish. Top with the cookie crumbs. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until fruit is bubbling and cookies are nicely browned. Serve with sour cream, crème fraîche, or ice cream.