Pear Crisp with Cardamom and Coconut Ice Cream

Well, folks, school is out for Winter Break, and I couldn't leave Boston without seeing some of my favorite people and offering some holiday deliciousness. This is a Mark Bittman recipe that I found on Epicurious,and I basically followed it pretty precisely. To bring this out of the oven felt so good! I've posted the link the recipe (scroll over the word "Epicurious" if you can't see it), and I really wouldn't add a thing more! (Though the coconut ice cream idea was totally mine! I went to get vanilla at JP Licks, but then realized that there were some better options!). Happy holidays, everyone!

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
pinch of salt
3 pounds pears, cored and sliced
1 teaspoon cardamom

Grease a 9" baking dish and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cream the butter, oil and sugar together, and stir in nuts, lemon juice, oats, flour and salt; the mixture will crumbly. Place your pears in the prepared dish and add the cardamom; toss to coat the pears evenly. Had I used a round dish, I may have opted for a more elegant arrangement of the pears at this point, but I ended up keeping the "just tossed" look for my 9" square baker. Spread the crumbly oat mixture evenly over the pears, and bake until bubbly -- about 30 or 40 minutes.