... To a Crisp

Our CSA is vegetables-only right now, and I’m nuts for summer fruits. So the other day, I bought some supermarket peaches…

They were gorgeous.

So voluptuous…

So rosy…

So ENTIRELY disappointing. Sigh...

Oh, well. Into every life, some substandard fruit must fall. But as long as you have the ingredients for fruit crisp on hand, you can always turn disappointment into dessert and avoid wasting produce.

I like to make a big bag of the topping and keep it in the freezer, so that I can use it when I'm stuck with imperfect peaches, not-so-hot nectarines or just waaaay too many blueberries.

Here’s the basic recipe for a big batch of topping, enough for several family-sized fruit crisps:

Cut two sticks of very cold butter into ¼” cubes.

In a food processor on the pulse setting, add in

1 ½ Cups Flour,

1 Cup (uncooked) old fashioned rolled oats,

1 Cup brown sugar,

¼ Cup white sugar,

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

a  6- ounce bag of shelled pecan pieces (1.5 Cups.)

Pulse until crumbly but not dough-like.

If you want, you can use the topping right away, but it will also refrigerate for a few days, or freeze for up to several months. Just keep it in a Ziploc bag with the extra air squeezed out.

To bake the fruit crisp:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut pitted fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines) into chunks about 1” square, or use whole blueberries or half cherries. Feel free to mix and match depending on what you have on hand. If you're using an 8-9" pie pan or baking dish, you'll need about 6 large peaches, 8-9 plums, or 2 pints or so of blueberries. You can also make just a couple of individual crisps in ramekin dishes, or a giant one for a party in a lasagna-sized baking dish. (That's the beauty of being able to stick your hand into a big bag of topping and use exactly the amount you need.)

Place fruit in dish, filling to just above the rim, and toss with a few tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar. Toss in some cinnamon if you want, too. (My six peaches took 2 Tablespoons of confectioner's sugar.)

Cover fruit with a layer of topping about ¾” thick. Pat the topping down so that it sticks, but don’t compact it into a crust.

Bake for 1 hour (or 45 minutes for little ramekin dishes). If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Serve warm or at room temperature, and if you want to top it with ice cream, go right ahead.

Note: leftover crisp should be refrigerated. Reheat it briefly before serving; otherwise it’ll be more of a “sog” than a “crisp.”