Hello Friend,
I'm sitting in a very quiet kidless house, with the hum of a fan on full blast to ward off the lingering summer swelter. It's nice to be back in the swing of things summer rhythms turning to fall. It's Still hot, which I'm done complaining about. Kids have gone back to school, we are all thrilled. And now I'm finally finding some time to dust off my desk and write to you.
Lately, I've found myself having way too many fruits going bad in my fridge. I learned you can put them unrinsed in mason jars to extend their life, and also not rinsing until using them. Not sure if my fridge is finally on its last leg, ( more on that drama later) or we just aren't eating them quick enough. It's been so hot we feel our appetites are either in full "I'm starving mode" or "can't be bothered to cook, or eat".
Instead of wanting the fruit to go to waste, I took my leftovers of strawberries, baby plums and apricots, maybe a handful of each. Washed them down, cut them up and put them in a bowl while I stared at them for a while deciding on what to do. I wasn't sure if they would blend well together, although I felt inclined to experiment anyway.
A crisp came to mind, since it's the simplest. Faster than a pie, or a galette, although I do love both. In the bowl I tossed the fruit with a sprinkle of coconut sugar, white wine, fresh ground ginger, herbs of provence, zest of lemon, then made a crisp topping. Baked it all up, and out came a gorgeous treat we've been serving over ice cream the last few days to keep us cool.
I was first introduced to fruit crisp from my neighbor when I lived in the PNW. I must have been living under a rock to not have had one before. She told me that during the summer she makes them a few times a week because she needs to use up all her berries from her garden larder. Since that first time 15 years ago, I've been trying to recreate her mouth watering crisps for years. Maybe one day mine will finally live up to hers.
Also, I want to mention, you can make crisp's or crumbles all year round.
Any fruit will do, and the more ripe the better, mix and match flavors. In the fall I like to make an apple one, with whisky and spices. In the summers I like to use white wine, stone fruits and berries. Basically whatever you can get your hands on!
RECIPE
LEFT -OVER FRUIT CRISP
Makes 1 9 inch fruit crisp
Cooks note:
The Key here is to use up any overripe fruit you have left over. Mix berries together, or other stone fruits. Get creative. Also if you don't have 2 ½ pounds no worries, you may have more topping, which some people like.
STEP 1:
filling:
2 1/2 lbs a mix fruit, I used, small plums, apricots, and strawberries (quarted + halved)
1 ish TBSP sugar ( if the fruit is extra ripe, you don't need much)
1 ½ TBSP GF flour
1 TSP herbs de provence
2 TBSP dry white wine
9 inch round baking dish
In a bowl toss all of the above ingredients, then transfer to a prepared ceramic deep baking. set aside, preheat the oven to 375 F and make your crisp topping.
STEP 2:
Crisp topping:
12 TBSP cold salted butter ( the good stuff) cut into small pieces
1 ¼ cups GF Flour
6 tablespoons of brown sugar or coconut sugar
1 ½ TBSP granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon ( if desired)
⅔ cups rolled oats
( optional add nuts such as chopped almonds or walnuts)
In a bowl add all the dry ingredients and gently whisk. With your fingers work in the butter, gently pinching, until it just comes together, but not too sandy or fine. Be sure to not overwork. Should make about 3 cups, add the topping over your fruit and bake in the oven for about 40-55 min until the top of the crisp is golden and bubbling. Serve warm with cold cream, or vanilla ice cream.
PRINTABLE RECIPE:
xo
Second, Since it's been a hot Minute since writing to you, ( no pun intended ) , I wanted to give you a bonus one bowl apricot cake recipe. Same idea here with the fruit, you can easily swap out the apricot for blueberries, or strawberries. This cake is a great little tea for breakfast cake. I do like to add spices to give it a punch like ginger, and nutmeg. I think it lifts it up a bit.
Enjoy ( printable recipe for the cake below)
All photos and Styling Created by Nicole Lee
xo
Nicole
this opening shot and the ease of cakes like this reminds me of everything I love about summer, about baking, and about Hungary (which I'm currently missing). So beautiful, pure and welcoming.
My kind of food!👌❣️