Master InstructionsFruit Crisp
1. Pulse flour, sugars, spices, and salt in work bowl of food processor. Add butter and pulse ten times, about 4 seconds each pulse. The mixture will first appear like dry sand, with large lumps of butter, then like coarse cornmeal. Add nuts, then pulse again, four to five times, about 1 second each pulse. Topping should look like slightly clumpy wet sand. Be sure not to overmix or mixture will become too wet and homogenous. Refrigerate topping while preparing fruit, at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place fruit filling in 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan. Sprinkle chilled topping evenly over fruit.
3. Bake for 40 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking until fruit is bubbling and topping turns deep golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Serve warm. (Crisp may be set aside at room temperature for a few hours and then reheated in warm oven just before serving.)
FRUIT FILLINGS FOR CRISPS & BETTIES
Firm fruits, such as apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, and plums, work best in crisps and betties. Berries are quite watery and will make the topping soggy if used alone. However, they will work in combination with firmer fruits. If you like, replace up to one cup of the fruit in the fillings on Chapter 3 with an equal amount of berries. Raspberries are especially good with apples, and blueberries work nicely with peaches.
When using apples, our testing revealed that a combination of Granny Smith and McIntosh apples is best. The McIntosh apples have a good flavor and will cook down to form a thick sauce. The Granny Smiths cut some of the sweetness and hold their shape.
We found it unnecessary to thicken the fruit in all but two cases. Plums are a bit watery and benefit from the addition of a little quick-cooking tapioca. Peaches will thicken up on their own but need some help when blueberries are added to the mix. Any juices thrown off by the other fruits will evaporate or thicken nicely without causing the topping to become soft.
As for flavoring the fruit, we find that 1/4 cup of sugar is usually adequate, especially since the toppings are fairly sweet. We also like to add some lemon juice and zest. One half teaspoon of grated gingerroot makes a nice addition to any of the following fillings. Each filling yields about 6 cups.
Apple Filling: Peel, quarter, core (see figures 2 and 3), and cut into 1-inch chunks 21/2 to 3 pounds apples (half Granny Smith and half McIntosh). Mix with 1/4 cup sugar, 11/2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest.
Apple-Raspberry Filling: Follow Apple Filling, reducing amount of cut apples to 5 cups and adding 1 cup raspberries.
Nectarine Filling: Follow Peach Filling, substituting an equal amount of nectarines for peaches.
Peach Filling: Peel (see figures 4 and 5), pit, and cut into 1/3-inch wedges 21/2 to 3 pounds peaches. Mix with 1/4 cup sugar, 11/2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest.
Peach-Blueberry Filling: Follow Peach Filling, reducing amount of cut peaches to 5 cups and adding 1 cup blueberries and 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca.
Pear Filling: Peel, halve, core (see figures 6–8), and cut into 1-inch chunks 21/2 to 3 pounds pears. Mix with 1/4 cup sugar, 11/2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest.
Plum Filling: Pit and cut into 1/3-inch wedges 21/2 pounds plums. Mix with 1/4 cup sugar, 11/2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca.