Seasonal Fruit Crisp

Don't you just love simple-but-adaptable recipes that let you get creative within the guardrails of always turning out delicious? No matter the season, I make similar streusal toppings, usually with oats but sometimes adding chopped nuts or dried coconut. During winter, fruit crisps go with warm custard and in the summer nothing but vanilla bean ice cream does the trick.

Frozen fruit right out of the bag works great, but you can use fresh ripe fruit in season or mix with dried fruit just like you would in a pie. Don't be tempted to sweeten the fruit, the crumb topping has enough sugar, even for tart stone fruits.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 15

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, European

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

Dough Cutter
Digital Scale
Cast-Iron Skillet

Ingredients

Crumble

112 grams butter, chilled 1/2 cup or 1 stick
160 g all-purpose flour 1 cup
100 g sugar
100 g brown sugar
120 g quick rolled oats or 80g chopped nuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg fresh grated

Seasonal Fruit

455 g frozen fruit or 1 lb. fresh seasonal fruit
100 g fruit jam optional
100 g dried fruit optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Select a cast iron skillet or baking dish that will hold your fruit with at least 1-inch for the topping. Mix fresh fruit, with optional jam, liquor, or dried fruit and spread in an even layer.
Measure the oats or chopped nuts and set aside. Combine all the ingredients, except the oats or nuts, using a hand blender, your fingers, or a large fork. If you must use a food processor, be careful to pulse only a few times and check the consistency. You want the cold butter to be barely incorporated into a fluffy crumb topping. Don't overmix or it will become a dense dough.
Mix in the oats or nuts by hand and spread the crumb topping in a thick layer to seal in all the fruit. Don't compact the topping, but making dimples with your fingers results in more crispy bits. Try to use it all but if you have some leftover freeze it for muffins, coffee cake, or next time you make this recipe. You can also sprinkle leftover topping on parchment paper and bake it for a crunchy ice cream topping!
Bake at 400 F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Fruit juices usually boil through cracks in the top when it is done. A thermometer inserted in the center will read at least 165 F. If you used frozen fruit, it may take longer.
Place on a rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or chilled, along with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, or a small pond of creme anglais custard sauce!

Keyword pastry

Seasonal Fruit Crisp