Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp

FullSizeRenderWhen sweet peaches and nectarines are in season, you just gotta gobble them up. This crisp or crumble recipe is one I’ve posted before using rhubarb and strawberries, but I just had to share this with you using the perfect combination of nectarines and blueberries.* Fresh fruits are great when available, but this works just as well using frozen fruit in the winter. How much fruit you put in is really up to you—basically, you want to fill your pan or dish about 3/4 full (as shown here). Fruit does shrink as it bakes, so don’t worry about it overflowing in the oven.

Craving apple crisp or crumble? This topping is also wonderful with apples, so I’ve given you that variation below as well. Top baked crisp with ice cream or serve in a bowl with heavy cream poured over it. Heavenly.

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Serves 8-12

Fruit base

4-6 cups chopped fresh or frozen nectarines or peaches
2-4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300° Fahrenheit. Grease 9″x13″ or other 3 quart baking dish. Spread fruit in pan. In medium mixing bowl, add oats, sugar, flour, and spices, and stir to combine. Pour melted butter over oats and toss until butter is incorporated. Sprinkle oat mixture over fruit and bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

NOTE: You can also bake this dish at 375° Fahrenheit for 30 minutes if you’re in a rush, and it’ll be just as tasty.

For Apple Blueberry Crisp

Granny smith apples and blueberries make a nice tart-sweet combination. Peel, slice and chop 4-5 fresh Granny Smith apples, and mix with 2-4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries. Toss with a tablespoon of lemon juice, then add to pan, and add topping. Bake as directed above.

For Apple Crisp

Peel, slice and chop 6-8 of your choice of fresh baking apples. Add to pan, and then top with oats mixture. Bake as directed above.

See more at: http://forknifespoon.com/2015/05/17/strawberry-rhubarb-crisp/#sthash.lLYqimuI.dpuf

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

IMG_0748Crisp, crumble, cobbler…what’s the difference? Researching this question, I got as many different answers as there are names for baked pastry-topped fruit desserts. Here’s the general consensus: cobblers have biscuits on top, and crisps and crumbles have similar streusel toppings. But crisps usually have oats, whereas crumbles have flour and no oats. (Huffington Post flips this difference in an article they published, but my cookbooks and other online sources are consistent with a crisp including oats not vice versa, so I’m sticking with that.) However, “crisp” and “crumble” have come to be used interchangeably in recipes, oats or not. Whew!

Here’s another recipe for the previously promised rhubarb-o-rama. Nothing beats the pairing of tart rhubarb and sweet strawberries, and since they both pop up in spring, how perfect is that? You’ll have to limit your enjoyment of this dish to when these fruits are fresh, because you can’t sneak in frozen fruit—the water content is too high and you’ll get a pile of mush. Rhubarb needs some prep to get it ready for baking, so this isn’t quite as quick as a crisp made from apples or peaches or berries. Serve with a dollop of real vanilla bean ice cream or heavy cream, and your guests will be oohing and aahing and asking for more.

Another plus? You don’t even have to get your electric mixer out to do this dessert—a couple bowls and spoons are all that’s needed. This topping comes from a recipe clipped out of Family Fun magazine many moons ago. I use this on a multitude of fruit combinations, depending on what’s in season. (Sugar and fruit amounts need to vary depending on the fruits, so I’ll post some of those combos later.) Took me a while to come up with the right ratios of sugar, rhubarb, and strawberries, so I’ve saved you all that hassle. Sweet, huh?

Serves 8-12

Fruit base

6 cups chopped (1/2″ pieces) fresh rhubarb
1 cup granulated sugar
2 – 16 ounce containers or 5-6 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Topping

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, add rhubarb and sugar. Stir to combine. Let stand for 1 hour. Add in sliced strawberries. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup flour, and stir. If mixture is still too soupy, add additional 1/4 cup flour and stir again.

Preheat oven to 300° Fahrenheit.* Grease 9″x13″ or other 3 quart baking dish. Pour prepared strawberry-rhubarb mixture into pan. In medium mixing bowl, add oats, sugar, flour, and spices, and stir to combine. Pour melted butter over oats and toss until butter is incorporated. Sprinkle oat mixture over fruit and bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour. Let cool 10-15 minutes so rhubarb juices set before serving.

*NOTE: You can also bake this dish at 375° Fahrenheit for 30 minutes if you’re in a rush, and it’ll be just as tasty.