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A crisp has all the fruity goodness without the upper-crust fuss of a pie By Sharon K. Ghag
JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
A crisp is a pie without the fuss of a crust.
This humble cousin of upper-crust pies and tarts melds tree-ripened fruit and a few pantry staples into a sweet-tart old-fashioned dessert that's hard to resist.
The British call it a crumble. Americans call it a crisp. We call it downright delicious.
All those hot fruit juices bubble up into the buttery, sugary topping as it bakes to create sophisticated flavors that are mouth-watering and good.
Crisps are so easy to assemble. Mix fruit, sugar, lemon juice and tapioca and pour into a deep baking dish.
Sprinkle on a crumbly topping to create a one-of-a-kind dessert. Change up the fruit, using whatever is on hand. Mix apricot and pineapple or pineapple juice to lighten up an otherwise heavy filling. A mix of fresh cherries and canned cherry pie filling produces excellent results. Firm pears are an unexpected surprise. Add a few tablespoons of apricot jam to deepen their flavor.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". HUNDREDS of columnists and cartoonists regularly appear. Sign up for the daily update. It's free. Just click here. Change up the topping: Try oatmeal or ground nuts; just butter, sugar and flour work great; and finely chopped nuts in a butter-flour-sugar topping are wonderful because they toast during baking and provide flavor and texture.
Pop it in the oven for a bit. When those delicious fruit juices bubble up over the filling, you know it's done. There's no guesswork here, like with a pie filling under a crust.
Resist the urge to eat it hot out of the oven — the juices need to thicken and set. And if you're lucky enough to have leftovers, you'll be rewarded with flavors that are even better the second day.
NUT TOPPING
Makes: About 2 1/2 cups, enough for a 10-inch pie or 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 -quart baking dish
For the filling, Lauren combines 3 cups blueberries, 2 tablespoons sugar and the juice of 1 lemon as the base for this crisp. She bakes it in a 9-inch square baking dish. She also doesn't use a thickener.
Change up the topping by reducing sugar and oatmeal by half and flour to 1/3 cup. Add 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ. Serves: 9
Add the butter and rub with your hands until the mixture turns crumbly. Sprinkle topping on fruit and scatter the remaining sliced almonds on top.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 40 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and the topping browned.
No thickener in fruit filling: 1 1/3 pounds apricots, quartered and pitted; 3 peaches, pitted and sliced; 1 pound blackberries; zest of half lemon and juice of entire lemon; and 3t ablespoons sugar.
Use this recipe as a starting point for the fruit filling in crisps, just adjust the sugar to suit the sweetness of the fruit.
Serves: 6
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large saucepan, combine the blueberries, granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 2/3 cup water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir in the cornstarch mixture into the hot berries. Gently stir in the lemon zest and peaches, being careful not to mash the peaches.
Reduce the heat to low and continue simmering the fruit, gently stirring, until the juices have thickened and the mixture is clear. Remove from heat and scoop mixture into 2 1/2 -quart baking dish.
Bake the crisp until the topping is nicely browned, 30 to 40 minutes.
The suggested topping for this crisp combines 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (stick with butter, though, its flavor can't be beat). The ingredients are combined and sprinkled on the fruit.
Serves: 6
Alternately, mix blackberries when they're in season with the sugar and 3 to 4 tablespoons tapioca. Omit the cornstarch, cider vinegar and water. Freeze until ready to bake. Thaw slightly, add crumble topping and bake until bubbly. Freezing also soften the seeds.
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© 2012, The Modesto Bee Distributed by MCT Information Services
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