Apricot Rhubarb Crisp with an Oat/Pecan Topping
6 Comments
I've betrayed my Southern roots. Well, in so many ways. By not having heirloom china, for one thing. But also because I prefer--get this--crisp to pie.
Yep, all too true. My ancestors are rolling over in their Pea Ridge and Lookout Mountain battlefield graves. But so be it. I'm too in love with that crisp topping, the fruit down in. I like the crunch, the luxurious softness, all together in one spoonful.
You know that's how we experience satiety, right? By a greater range of textures, even more than tastes. It's all in our seven-step plan to get off processed food, the book for which this blog was named (here).
So all said and done, I want more crisp. And now that fruit is coming back into our lives after this long winter, I want one now. Particularly with a pecan crunch topping. Ready?
First, go out to your garden and pick the rhubarb. OK, you don't have to. You can go to the store and get it. But ours is up and going strong. There's our first harvest this year. So I had to write that first sentence in this paragraph. If you remember the winter we've had in New England, you know I deserve it.
Stir all this in a big bowl: 2 pounds (900 grams) pitted and sliced apricots, 4 ounces (115 grams) thinly sliced rhubarb, 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Lightly grease a 9-inch (23-cm) square pan or a 10 1/2-inch (25 1/2-cm) oval baking pan; for the fruit filling into it and set it aside for 10 minutes to let the tapioca melt, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
And make the topping in a second bowl. Stir all this together: 1/2 cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (45 grams) rolled oats (do not use quick-cooking or steel-cut), 6 tablespoons (70 grams) packed light brown sugar, 6 tablespoons (60 grams) chopped pecans, 1/4 cup (60 ml) toasted nut oil (preferably pecan oil, although walnut oil will do), 2 tablespoons (30 ml) maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Crumble those oat/pecan bits of bliss over the fruit filling, covering the whole thing with it.
Bake until the filling is bubbling and the top is lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before dishing it up--or keep it at room temperature, uncovered, for several hours. If the top goes soggy because of ambient humidity, you can recrisp the thing in a 350F/175C oven for 10 or 15 minutes.
One warning: the crisp is pretty sour. There's not much sugar in that filling. I really like it that way. Because I'm a sour addict. (Another way I have betrayed my Southern roots. Pickles are a divine thing, partly because they're sour. I don't do Kool-Aid pickles. If you don't know what that is, look it up. Be prepared to gasp.)
That all said, if you want to sweeten the crisp up, have some vanilla ice cream or vanilla frozen yogurt to ball up and drop on the servings--or better yet (yes, please), some sweetened whipped cream to slather on the plates.
Reader Comments (6)
Everything about this looks and sounds soooooo good, Mark! Apricots are high up on my list of favorites. And a sour crisp sweetened up with a little vanilla ice cream is perfect.
I also prefer crisps to pies, and I also have some Southern roots.
I've never heard of Kool Aid Pickles, and couldn't resist looking them up. I shouldn't have been surprised - they are exactly what they sound like. I don't think I'll be trying them anytime soon. There is something wrong with a bright red pickle.
Mark,
This surely has my name written on it!!
Oooh yeaah, baby! I have some rhubarb in my garden, so I can go harvest some as you instruct. The topping sounds divine!
Thanks, guys. It's such a gorgeous dessert that I hope you whip up a pan soon. And skip those nasty Kool-Aid pickles.
M.
Mmmm, I'm with you Mark - I like a dessert that's a little bit tart, especially with some whipped cream or ice cream on top!