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Blueberry Nectarine Crisp |
Back in August, I froze 2-3 pounds of blueberries I picked, along with a a quart of sliced nectarines.
I plucked both bags out of the freezer, and after an hour of
defrosting, tumbled their contents into a large bowl. I sprinkled them
with some sugar (I didn't measure, but if I was forced to guess, I'd
say it was a little more than half a cup), some cinnamon (a good
shake), fresh nutmeg (a third of a meg) and a teaspoon of cornstarch
(the only thing I measured, because you always want to err on the scant
side with cornstarch). I tossed the fruit around with my fingers until
coated and them spread them out in a large baking pan (it was a lot of
fruit).
The fruit went into the oven at 350 degrees plain for the first fifteen
minutes, as it was still a little frozen and I didn't want the topping
to burn while the fruit was undercooked. While it baked, I whirred up
topping in the food processor. In went about 2 cups of oats, 1 stick of
butter (unsalted please), cane sugar (about a third of a cup), some
cinnamon and a bit more nutmeg. This is my favorite way of making a
crisp topping, because some of the oats get worked down into flour,
while other bits remain intact. It comes together into a sort of dough
that has a terrific texture and makes you think that what you're eating
has some relationship to healthy eating. I toss in a couple of handfuls
of chopped pecans just before spreading it out over the fruit. It baked
for another 45 minutes, until the top was lightly browned and the fruit
was bubbly and soft. Eaten with vanilla ice cream, it was one of the
better treats I tasted in recent memory.
