Stone fruit, or fruit that has a stone or pit, refers to peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, mangoes, coffee, and much more. Don’t worry though. I am not going to make a coffee crisp, although now that I mention it, there has to be a way.
Recently, the first thing I smelled as I walked into a market was the beautiful array of peaches, nectarines and plums, and I could not help but to jump on the chance to make a nice stone-fruit and apple whole-wheat crisp with oatmeal.
In making my version of the crisp, I made a few adjustments to the standards that I have made along the way, including adding balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice and whole-wheat flour instead of the usual suspect all-purpose.
The result was beautiful, and the juices of the fruit, when combined and cooked with the flour and oatmeal, left me speechless as my home smelled as though it had just come out of an episode of The Little House on the Prairie.
Fifteen minutes into the cooking, my wife Julie was quite pleased with the returning smell of baked goods permeating the air (we do a lot of in-season baking).
Crisps are one of the greatest foods known to mankind. To be honest with you, I had never made them before moving to Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 1999. But since I moved here, I have made them for buffets, a la carte desserts, and as beautiful plated desserts for banquets, with a few even being served for weddings if you can believe it. I attribute this phenomenon to a couple of things.
Firstly, crisps, cobblers and fresh fruit pies are definitely comfort foods. While they may seem ‘easy’, the taste of a well-executed fruit crisp can bring anyone to their knees if done right.
Secondly, while the general public has embraced the new, bold and incredibly intricate desserts found on many upscale dinner menus, fruit crisps tend to lack the ‘frou-frou’ touches of perfectionist pastry chef training.
When summer is over, and stone fruit is going on its way in order to make room for the fig, pear, apple and pumpkin of autumn, then we should all celebrate with one more crisp to usher out the steamy days.
Peach & Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 peaches
- 3 granny smith apples
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Crisp
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- allspice
- cloves
- peppercorn blend
Instructions
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Combine the ingredients for the filling, being sure to toss the apples as you cut them with the water/vinegar mixture to prevent them from oxidizing.
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Place in a baking dish.
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Combine the dry ingredients for the topping, and then rub the softened butter in by hand.
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Once combined evenly, spread over the crisp so that it will act as a ‘lid’ of sorts, trapping the heat and steam, and allowing the oven’s heat to do its magic.
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Bake at 190C (375F) for 45 minutes (of course times will vary according to individual stoves) or until you see the bubbling goodness oozing from the edges of the crisp.
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Cool the crisp on the stovetop until it won’t burn the hair off of your tongue, and serve with ice cream, crème anglaise or any sides of your choice.
Notes
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