My all-time favorite dessert is a fruit crisp topped with vanilla ice cream, and there’s no better filling than fresh peaches with bursts of sweet, red raspberries. Crisps are among the loosest, easiest desserts to pull off in a hurry, especially if you keep some of the topping ready in the fridge. It will store well in an air-tight container for a week or more.
This crisp is easy to vary. Try blueberries instead of raspberries. Nectarines instead of peaches. Or a mound of mixed berries, such as raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 7-8 cups sliced, ripe peaches
- ½ pint raspberries (optional)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (less if the fruit is very sweet)
- 2 tablespoons tapioca or flour
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (or a gluten-free flour mixture)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, diced
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place peach slices into a bowl, and gently mix with three tablespoons sugar and two tablespoons tapioca or flour. The tapioca/flour thickens the fruit juices slightly (you can leave it out if you like). Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and using clean hands, rub the mixture together until it resembles moist sand with crumbly pea-sized bits scattered throughout. The buttery lumps are what create a crumbly crust, so don’t break down the bits any smaller.
- Place peaches in a 10 x 15 baking dish (or similar size). Cover with crumble topping, and if you have time, refrigerate the crisp to allow the topping to harden. This leads to a chunkier, crisper topping. An alternative approach would be to make the crisp topping ahead of time and leave it in the fridge until baking time. If you don’t have time, no worries, the crisp will be fabulous regardless. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the topping is golden brown with juices bubbly around the pan edges.
- Cool slightly and serve with cream or vanilla ice cream on top.
