Apple-Pear Crisp with Beaumes de Venise Ice Cream

Apple crisp is a true American dessert. It has been served by cowboys on the open range over a campfire, on farm tables during the Depression, and by suburban housewives in the 1960s. Today, it proudly reigns in American regional restaurants across the country. When gussied up as in this recipe, it even claims a place in upscale dining establishments.