Blueberry Crisp

Blueberries were thick in the markets in England for the past few days--which reminded me how much I love blueberry crisp. It's just one of those things. Vanilla ice cream makes it better--but is not necessary. Whipped cream, too. (I can't believe I just wrote that whipped cream is not necessary. I must be ill.) Anyway, here's a simple recipe for a blueberry crisp.

Preheat the oven to 350F. For the fruit filling, mix 1 1/2 pints (3 cups) blueberries, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a big bowl. Pour this into a 9-inch square baking dish.

And of course, that maple oat crisp topping I love, only in a smaller size for this smaller baking dish: 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup rolled oats (do not use quick-cooking or steel-cut oats), 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, 2 tablespoons walnut oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Mix that topping together until it's crumbly, then sprinkle it evenly over the blueberry filling.

It'll take about 40 minutes in the oven--you're looking for a bubbling filling and a crisp topping. However, this is a smaller version, in a smaller baking dish, so it may brown quickly. If you see the top getting too dark, simply lay a piece of aluminum foil over the crisp as it bakes, then remove for the last 5 minutes or so to make sure the topping is crispy.

Oh, shoot, I can't have it without vanilla ice cream. Or gelato. Silly me. Sort of the point of blueberry crisp, no? Want to make your own? Check it out here.

Comments

[Antje Spethmann]

And how do you keep the juice from being so juicy? Maybe tapioca starch?

[Mark Scarbrough]

I think the tapioca starch is already in the recipe--although I could be wrong, since we're at sea and I'm having a hard time logging online. If you don't think it's enough, double it.

Mark