Peach, Apple, Raspberry (or other Berry) Crisp

by Matthew Merrill

 

I did some researching for good crisp recipes and decided to try this for the crisp topping. While looking into the various recipes, the combination of the fruit came to mind. I have also thrown in blackberries when I've made it. Crisps are pretty easy to play around with.

(12" recipe)

Fruit bottom:

*Canned peaches, drained

*Apple pie filling

Any combination of your favorite berries (cut up strawberries if you want to use them.)

*Use up to about 3 cans. I did 1 1/2 cans each (20 oz. cans) It just needs to cover the bottom, don't put in too much. Also, unlike a cobbler, you don't want it runny. The pie filling was the fluid in this case.

Crisp:

2 c flour

2 c brown sugar

1 c instant oatmeal

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1 c butter (melted)

Prep the crisp:

I have 2 methods. One produces globs or balls of the flavor (the oats don't mix as well). The other distributes the ingredients more evenly. I also like to prepare the crisp before leaving the house to allow it come back to room temperature (roughly) before cooking it, and for less work at the camp site, but is not necessary.

Globs:

Mix all of the dry ingredients (everything except the butter) in a bowl, or a gallon-size sealable bag, e.g. Ziploc. The bag gives even more clumps and is easier to pack for the camp/picnic as well as easier clean up. When dry ingredients are mixed well, mix in the butter. Mix until everything looks moist, but not too much to maintain the clumps.

Even crisp:

Mix all of the dry ingredients thoroughly, except for the oats. Melt the butter in a pot or in the microwave and pour in a large mixing bowl. Add half of the oats to the butter and then slowly add the dry mixture, keeping it pretty smooth (besides the lumpiness of the oats). When all of the mixture is added, add the rest of the oats.

Cook:

Mix the apple-pie filling and drained peaches together in the Dutch oven. I like to place the berries on top of the apple/peach mixture, but they can also be mixed in. Pour the crisp mix on top and spread evenly (don't mix with the fruit).

The crisp needs to do the most cooking, so I use 12-14 coals on top and about 8 on bottom.  Cook for about 20 minutes. The fruit just needs to warm up, but the crisp needs to become crispy. When it looks dark brown and crispy, it's ready.

Since the crisp gets hotter, the berries kind of melt into the crisp and mixes the flavors really well, instead of just cooking them and making them mushy.

Serves well with ice cream.

Note: This is the only picture I had of this recipe. I accidentally added the peach juice, and it turned pretty soupy. The crisp was great until the juices mixed and it became soggy. Also, this is the clumpy version.

MM