Mixed Berry Crisp

I stopped at Pike Place Market on Saturday to pick up fresh, local berries. The season is coming to an end so I’m taking full advantage of it while I can. The fruit is super ripe right now. I should have kept that in mind but my eyes were a little bigger than my stomach and once I had the berries home I was afraid they would go bad before I ate them all.

I didn’t want that to happen so I made a few cups into a Mixed Berry Crisp on Sunday morning and just pulled another one out of the oven.

I love making crisps. Really quick and easy to make – especially if you already have the topping made up, as I normally do. (It keeps great in the freezer.) You can use almost any sort of fruit and any amount of fruit. You just need to find the right size baking dish and use an appropriate amount of topping, which is really personal preference anyway. The one thing that may take a little practice, but is not the end of the world if you get it wrong, is judging if the fruit needs sugar and/or a thickening agent like flour or cornstarch. When using sugar I suggest you use a light hand, sprinkling just a little between layers of fruit. With a thickening agent you’ll just need to judge by the fruit you’re using and how juicy it is. You can always look up a pie recipe for the same sort of fruit and use it as a guideline.

Once you remove the crisp from the oven, let it cool at least a few minutes but really an hour or so is best. Eat it as is or, for an especially delicious treat top it with ice-cream or whipped cream.