This is my lazy solution to making pie when summer fruit is in season. It’s always a hit with my Teen Cooking Summer Camp because it involves chopping several pounds of fruit (kids love to chop) and everyone get to take home their own dessert-filled aluminum tin.
Yield: This recipe will fill a large 12” wide casserole dish.
Taste and examine the fruit before putting it in the crisp. You may want to increase or reduce the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness. If the fruit is very juicy, add 1-2 apples, which are high in pectin and will make the filling firmer. You can also mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch to chopped fruit thicken the juice. Low-acid, bland fruit like white peaches or blueberries benefit from a tablespoon or two of lemon juice for contrast.
Ingredients
Filling
2 quarts of pitted and chopped stone fruit, apples or berries
2/3 cup of honey or sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Topping
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup rice flour
½ cup of butter
½ cup of brown sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
Tools
Cutting board, chefs knife, 2 large bowls, measuring cup, measuring spoons, large mixing spoon, small bowl or pan, 12″ casserole pan or baking dish, baking pan
Directions
- Set oven at 350 F.
- Place chopped fruit with sweetener and cinnamon in a bowl and toss with your hands until mixed.
- Melt butter in a small pan on the stove or in a cup in the microwave for 1 minute or until liquid.
- In the second bowl, place oats, flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt and mix with a big spoon.
- Scoop all of the fruit filling into a baking dish, pressing it down to create a somewhat flat surface. Sprinkle topping evenly onto the fruit, mounding it over any sparse areas. This recipe makes a generous amount of topping, which prevents the fruit from drying out.
- Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the dish on top to catch any juice that may bubble over.
- Let the crisp bake for at least an hour and 20 minutes. Check to see if there is any bubbling juice around the edges of the container. This is a sign that the fruit has cooked down and become a juicy, soft filling and is ready to eat.
- Let the crisp cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Molten filling very hot when it first comes out of the oven.