Sunday, September 28, 2008

Fruit Crisp For Any Season

Around where I live, September is usually gorgeous. Lovely warm days with mild evenings, with that feeling of looking forward to fall, but cannot let go of summer. The produce follows suit, with abundance from both seasons, and like the weather, a warm fruit dessert paired with something cold also seems just right.

While eating fruit out of hand is a favorite dessert, every so often one deserves a little something more. With the best fruits of the season and a few ingredients that are always at home, a Fruit Crisp, based on this recipe, can become a sweet antidote for me after a stressful work-week. I have the recipe of the crisp topping posted on the fridge door, and I just mix everything by hand, so it takes only minutes to put it together. The fruit filling does not need a recipe. After trying out various combinations, I have come to the conclusion that one can use almost any fruit, and come up with many winners. You can bake it in a large dish or in individual bowls, but the latter makes it seem more special.

Earlier in summer, when stone fruits were at their prime, I made a crisp with white and yellow peaches and a splash of amaretto, and then once with nectarines and blueberries. Both were outstanding. Recently, I made it with apple and banana, flavored with cardamom instead of vanilla, and nothing else, which was pure comfort in a bowl.

Fruit Crisp: just out of the oven

Fruit Crisp: still bubbling, right out of the oven

Fruit Crisp

This makes 2 generous servings, and can be very easily multiplied

Ingredients

For the filling:

About 1-1/2 cups of chopped fruit of choice, alone or in combination
1-2 Tablespoon of raisins or cranberries or other dried fruit (optional)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, or finely powdered cardamom, or a splash of liqueur that goes with the fruit of choice
a dash of lemon zest or orange zest (optional)
1/2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the topping:

2-1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-1/2 Tablespoons rolled oats (regular or unflavored quick cooking)
1-1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1-1/2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
small pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the fruit, peeling and chopping as necessary into bite size pieces. Mix the fruit with the rest of the ingredients.

Place the mixture in a baking dish, or distribute it in 2 ramekins of 3/4 cup capacity.

For the topping:

Combine the flour, oats, sugars, salt, and cold butter in a small bowl, and using a fork or fingers, mix everything until the mixture is in large crumbles. For larger quantities, you could use an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 45 minutes, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Let it sit for a few minutes. Serve warm. Increase baking time slightly for increased quantities.


Fruit Crisp: with vanilla bean ice cream

Warm fruit crisp with a dollop of vanilla bean ice-cream. Near bliss.

16 comments:

sra said...

Hey, you're back! I wish we got more of these fruit-crispable fruit in India, we always seem to be using apple and banana in many desserts, or tinned peaches!

jayasree said...

Wow..Yummy crisp. Drooling over the last pic..

Unknown said...

looks yumm.picture looks so tempting..bookmarking this one!!

Anamika:The Sugarcrafter said...

hey
i agree with you..all fruits work wonders ..good innovative thought with this fruit crisp !

anudivya said...

Two generous serving? I could eat all that by myself. Looks goooood!

Sangeeth said...

yummy and creative recipe!luves ur pics too

Unknown said...

They look just perfect..

Richa said...

yes - i found myself shaking my head to everything u said :) crisp is one of the very few things where i cook fruit! it does get addictive enough to be had for breakfast for some ;)

TheCooker said...

To continue our dormant 'me-too' volley: I've been crisping a lot of fruits lately.
Richa, I'm heading your way if this is what you have for breakfast!

TheCooker said...

To continue our dormant 'me-too' volley: I've been crisping a lot of fruits lately.
Richa, I'm heading your way if this is what you have for breakfast!

Anonymous said...

Yummm, looks gorgeous. Good to have you back after so long - was wondering where you've been off to on AS as well. Hope everything is well and you're just busy.

Anonymous said...

Yummm, looks gorgeous. Good to have you back after so long - was wondering where you've been off to on AS as well. Hope everything is well and you're just busy.

Priyanka said...

alas...i can only drool from afar...i m the only one who eats anything sweet in the family and since i m currenlty watching my weight i will have to be content with drooling over all the wonderful bakes and sweets in the blogosphere. glad to have you back.

sra said...

Hey ET, where are you? Happy New Year!

evolvingtastes said...

sra! Hello. I am ok, thanks for asking. Happy New Year to you too. :-)

Priya said...

I have tried this 3 times already with different combinations of fruit and it has become a favorite :) An absolute no-brainer and so rewarding, not to mention guilt-free too! :) Thank you so much for this recipe!

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