It's not summer until I make an apricot and raspberry crisp. Don't get me wrong, I love all the stone fruits and berries, but there is something about the combination of apricots and raspberries that makes it so special. The key is to highlight the natural flavors and bright tartness of the fruit with a yummy oat topping. Even with a humble dessert like a crisp, you want to make sure you get the proper ratios. Baking is science after all. The best part is how beautifully rustic it looks in a cast iron skillet. You can dress it up with a little powdered sugar and some whipped cream and it's ready to go. This Apricot and Raspberry Crisp ticks all the boxes of what a summer dessert should be.
There is a debate of whether this is called a crisp or a crumble. Don't even get me started on Betty, Buckle, Cobbler and Pandowdy. So I did some research. According to the Farmer's Almanac, a crisp and crumble are the same except a crisp has oats. For me, I will always find an excuse to add oats to a recipe. It adds a great texture and makes me feel like I'm eating something healthy. There's fruit and oats so it has to be healthy, right?
Make sure you bake the crisp in a shallow baking dish or cast iron skillet. This will give you a nice even balance of fruit to topping and will allow the fruit to cook evenly. The apricots just need to be halved and seeded. Then they get tossed with the raspberries in a simple syrup of honey, vanilla paste and a few thyme sprigs.
The oat and almond topping has a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg and will bake into a lovely, buttery crust. The finishing touch is a nice big dollap of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I love how it melts into the warm crisp. The creaminess balances the tart and sweet flavors so well. Now go grab a spoon and dig in.
APRICOT AND RASPBERRY OAT CRISP
(serves 8)
FRUIT FILLING
2 pounds apricots, halved and pitted
2 cups rapberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vanilla paste
3-4 springs fresh thyme
juice of half lemon
pinch salt
CRISP TOPPING
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter, frozen
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the sugar, water, honey, and vanilla paste together in a small saucepan. Add the thyme, lemon juice and salt to the syrup and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes. Place the apricots and raspberries in a cast iron skillet or 10 inch baking dish. Spread the fruit out in an even layer. Remove the thyme from the syrup and pour over the fruit. To make the topping, Stir the brown sugar, flour, oats, almonds, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl. Grate the frozen butter over the dry ingredients and toss it together. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the fruit. Bake for about 45 minutes and its golden brown and the filling is nice and bubbly. Cool slightly before serving. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
TIPS
Use peaches or plums and your favorite berry instead of apricots and raspberries
Serve the crisp slightly warm
Double up the syrup and use it to sweeten iced tea or lemonade
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