BLACKBERRY CRISP

The third Sunday of Lent approached quite quickly and I did not have a decision yet as to what I would bake for my "cheat day" recipe. So, as David and I were wondering the isles of Sam's Club (do NOT judge us, there is no Costco in The Falls), keeping our eyes peeled for a great idea to pop up...I spied Blackberries.

I decided that I would do some form of blackberry pie, cobbler or crisp. I truly had nothing in mind except that I knew a baking creation consisting of butter and berries could not be beat. So, upon arriving home I promptly poured over my cook books, online blog references and Epicurus...finally settling on this recipe for a peach and blackberry crisp (minus the peach).

It turned out to be a new favorite recipe to add to my collection. I also learned a valuable lesson...usually I will make a crisp or cobbler in a dish that is shallow allowing for each serving to have more crust than berries, but this time I used this deeper style baking dish and it was wonderful to have so many juicy berries with each bite of crust.


One final word to the wise: do not go cheap on your ice cream! We used Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean and it was pure heaven--as every cheat day dessert should be!

Peach and Blackberry Crisp
1-1/2 pounds peaches (about 3), pitted and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges
2 cups blackberries, picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup coarsely chopped lightly toasted pecans
peach and brown sugar ice cream or vanilla cream as an accompaniment

In a large bowl toss the peaches and the blackberries gently with the cornstarch, the lemon juice, and the granulated sugar until the mixture is combined well. In a small bowl stir together the flour, the brown sugar, the oats, the salt, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg, add the butter, blending the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, and stir in the pecans. Spread the peach mixture in a 13- by 9-inch (3 quart) baking dish, sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly over it, and bake the crisp in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden. Serve the crisp with the ice cream.