Berry Crisp

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My husband and I have fond memories of a restaurant we dined at when we were first dating, then young newlyweds, and then young parents. It was a glorified diner of sorts (well, maybe not so glorified) and every dish they served was yummy. I think my mom used to go with us, and she usually picked up the tab because money was always tight (thus it tasted even better!). One dish I remember from their menu was a fruit crisp that came out of the kitchen piping hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that was already melting around the edges. Oh my, I used to just stuff myself on it. No matter how much you already ate, that crisp tasted so good. Blueberry was, of course, my favorite. Or maybe it was cherry. ;-)

This recipe reminds of that wonderful crisp. It's a really simple dessert to throw together, and you can use almost any fruit with wonderful results. I got the recipe from my girlfriend, and I thought it was a Martha Stewart recipe, but I can't find it on the internet, so now I'm not so sure. Irregardless, it's yummy, and when I made it recently with a combination of blackberries and raspberries, it was very memorable. I used some leftovers from the freezer -- just bits of berries from a couple almost empty bags, but you would never know from the finished product. Use fresh in the summer when it's available and inexpensive, and frozen in the winter when berries are so dear. Or use peaches, or cherries, or better yet, blueberries! Oh, they're all good! If you plan to use frozen fruit, no need to thaw -- just add a few minutes to the bake time. Watch for bubbly juices -- a sure sign it's done.

Fruit Crisp
serves 6

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4 cups berries or diced fruit (I used 2 c. blackberries and 2 c. raspberries for the crisp pictured)
2 T. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup sugar (more if your fruit is tart -- I used 3/4 cup for the berries pictured)

1 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 cup butter


Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix fruit, 2 T. flour, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/2 cup sugar and place in bottom of greased 10 x 6 or 8 x 8 pan.

Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit and bake for 30 to 40 minutes (apples or other firm fruit make take longer -- when it bubbles rapidly around the edges, it's done).
(Can be doubled and put in 13 x 9 — bake until bubbly)

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