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Fruit Crisp is a delicious muddle of warm baked fruit and sweet crunchy
streusel. It is considered a simple, old fashioned dessert as it has been around
for well over a century. In fact, although written recipes started to appear in
the late 19th century, food historians believe fruit crisps were being made by
housewives well before that time. The theory is that women didn't bother to
write down crisp recipes because they thought they were so easy that everyone
just knew, instinctively, how to make them.
So let's begin. A fruit crisp can be made with a variety of fruits. Apples
are especially popular, but peaches, nectarines, pears, plums, berries,
and rhubarb are also wonderful. Many recipes call for combining two
fruits; for example, apples and blackberries, peaches and raspberries, and
nectarines and blueberries, to name a few. For this recipe I have combined
rhubarb (the pie plant) with blackberries. I know that rhubarb is usually
paired with strawberries or raspberries, but when I saw this combination
in Wayne Harley Brachman's "American Desserts", I just couldn't resist
trying it. And I wasn't disappointed.Once you have the fruit, then it
needs to be sweetened with just enough sugar to offset its tart flavor,
and thickened with just a little cornstarch (corn flour), as you still
want some juices to pour over the top of your crisp. Recipes often call
for adding a little extra liquid, and this is needed if the fruit you have
chosen does not release enough of its own juices during baking. The
streusel-like topping that is spread over the fruit is a mixture of flour,
sugar, spices, butter, and rolled oats. As it bakes it becomes golden
brown, crisp, and crunchy which makes a nice contrast to the soft fruit.
Crisps can be baked in one large pie pan or in individual serving dishes.
For this recipe I have baked the crisp in one large pan as I like to scoop
out a large helping, place it in a pretty bowl, and have this wonderful
mess of lovely fruit all mixed in with the topping. This dessert is at its
best when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or softly whipped
cream. |
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