A Fruit Crisp Formula for All Seasons

This fruit crisp can be adapted for any season - in the spring, use rhubarb and berries; stone fruit in the summer, and apples and pears in the fall.

Author: Vincci Tsui, RD

Recipe type: Baked Goods, Dessert, Vegetarian

Ingredients

Filling

• 4 cups (1 L) fruit, chopped if needed

• Sugar (optional - I use ½ cup in rhubarb crisp, maybe a few tbsp in a berry crisp, all other fruits are sweet enough on their own!)

• Spices (optional - cinnamon and ginger go with most things)

• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

• 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice (I didn't add this to the rhubarb)

• 1 tsp (5 mL) flour (used to thicken juices - don't add to apple/pear due to natural pectin content of these fruits)

Topping

• ½ cup (125 mL) rolled oats

• ½ cup (125 mL) chopped walnuts or sliced almonds

• ⅓ cup (85 mL) brown sugar, packed

• ¼ cup (60 mL) butter, cut into pieces

• 3 Tbsp (45 mL) whole wheat flour

• Spices (optional - I usually just put in the filling)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.

2. In a 8 x 8" square casserole dish (or other 2 L casserole), stir together ingredients for filling. Spread out evenly in casserole dish. Set aside.

3. Place all topping ingredients into a medium bowl, using your hands, mix the ingredients together, breaking up the butter even further, until well-blended. The mixture should be coarse, with some pea-sized lumps.

4. Spread the topping over the filling in the casserole dish. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until top is golden and filling is bubbling underneath.