Do you ever wonder the difference between a crisp, crumb, crumble, cobbler, and buckle? We do. And it appears that there are different opinions on the matter.
Let’s go with the most logical differentiation and call this a crisp (the topping is crispy, because it has oats). Anyway, you won’t have much time to call it anything because your mouth will be full of sweet goopy fruit, crunchy topping, and cool smooth ice cream.
This dessert is so easy to make, requires pretty basic ingredients that you probably already have, uses up almost any ripe or overripe fruit that happens to be sitting in your fruit bowl, isn’t overly sweet or rich, and just gets tastier if you make it the day before. Perfect for a party.
This time around, we used peaches (skins off) and strawberries. In the past we have used mixed berries, strawberries and rhubarb, a single berry, mixed berries, or a mixture of stone fruits. What about something more unique, like strawberries and basil? blueberries and goat cheese? peaches and mint? Go for it, and let us know how it turns out. Just adjust your sugar ratio based on how sweet the fruit is (you’ll definitely need to taste test; isn’t it the best when a recipe encourages you to do that?). You can also scale up or down pretty easily; to be honest, I use the measurements more as a guide than as a rule.
Serve warm or room temperature—à la mode, of course! Freshly whipped cream is a pretty stellar topping too.
Peach-Strawberry* Crisp (print here)
Ingredients
- 6 cups peaches and strawberries,* sliced
- ¼ cup sugar (or less)
- 1 cup flour, separate (¼ cup and ¾ cup)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup oats
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick butter, chilled
Directions
Combine fruit, sugar, ¼ cup flour, and lemon juice. Toss and pour into a 9-inch pie dish or a small casserole dish. Combine the remaining ¾ cup flour, oats, brown sugar, and spices. Cut in the butter (or use a cheese grater) and mix until you have small moist clumps. Sprinkle over the fruit mixture. Bake for one hour at 375˚, until the fruit mixture bubbles and the topping is dark golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream or freshly whipped cream.
Notes
Adjust the amount of sugar to the natural sweetness of your chosen fruit, and to your own taste buds.
* or any fruit
The Leftovers Project 