Yesterday was a perfect summer day, all
blue skies and gentle breeze. My sister was visiting from California for two
short days, so we spent our time together laughing and talking and eating,
really not doing too much of anything, just sitting in the sun and enjoying
each others’ company. I think that’s what
summer’s all about – taking the time
to enjoy life a bit and forgetting around all the minutiae that can clog up our
lives. We reminisced about the good old days growing up in suburban New Jersey
in the 1970’s. My memories of those days are very happy, especially the ones
associated with summer. We had a big raspberry
bush in the backyard, and I
don’t think anything could ever be as delicious to me as the tart little
berries we picked from it. To this day, that particular flavor evokes a flood
of good memories. If you have access to freshly picked summer berries, count
yourself lucky, and turn them into something simple and wonderful, like a
warm
crisp. It couldn’t be simpler to make and when served with vanilla ice cream or
gelato, as I did, it’s a 4-star dessert.
Black
& Blue (Berry) Crisps
Makes 4 servings
Berries:
1 pint blueberries
1 pint blackberries
1/3 cup (71 g) firmly packed light brown
sugar
2 tablespoons (14 g) cornstarch
¼ cup (60 ml) tart cherry juice or water
2 teaspoons (8 g) finely grated lemon
zest
Streusel
Topping:
½ cup (66 g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (162 g) firmly packed light brown
sugar
½ cup (60 g) slivered almonds, toasted
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, cut
into ½-inch cubes
Prepare
the berry mixture:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the
berries, brown sugar, cornstarch, cherry juice (or water) and lemon zest. Divide
the mixture among four 8-ounce ramekins or gratin dishes.
Make
the topping:
3. In the bowl of a food process, pulse
together the flour, brown sugar, almond and salt until the almonds are ground
(but not finely ground). Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture is
crumbly.
Bake
the crisps:
4. Sprinkle the topping over the berry
mixture in each ramekin. Bake the crisps on a baking sheet for 30 to 35
minutes, until the topping is browned and the mixture is bubbly.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or
whipped cream.
