Apple Blackberry Crisp
The gloomy weather this week calls for warm and comforting recipes. I have my favorite candle lit on the kitchen counter and a grocery list with ingredients for ham and lentil soup and veggie lasagna sit next to me.
Dinners this week should be delicious (once I actually get around to that grocery shopping). My sourdough starter, which has sat dormant in the fridge for most of the summer, is sitting on the counter slowly coming back to life. Because if you’re going to have meals like soup and lasagna then a loaf of crusty bread is a necessity.
Now that’s its a little cooler, getting back into the routine of making bread regularly feels like a good idea. Did you know you can put a sourdough starter in the refrigerator? I’ve had friends ask what to do with a starter when they want a break from baking bread and I always remind them it can stay in the fridge for a long long time. When you’re ready to bake again, you just put it back on your counter and start feeding it daily. Within a couple days its bubbly and active.
If you missed it last week, I shared a recipe for apple and carrot muffins. My daughter and her friend picked several bags of apples from the orchard and while I was delighted with their haul, I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of apples to try and use. First recipe was those yummy muffins and this week is another sweet and simple apple recipe.
While rifling through the freezer looking who knows what, I came across a gallon ziplock bag of summer blackberries. I couldn’t exactly leave them in the freezer once I spotted them so out they came. One look at the giant bag of apples sitting on my counter and I knew just what I wanted to make. Apple blackberry crisp is the perfect early fall dessert. The combination of apples and berries works perfectly together; sweet and a little tart. The crisp topping is buttery and perfectly golden brown with lots of good-for-you oats. I would even venture to say you could eat this for breakfast with a dollop of greek vanilla yogurt instead of ice cream. Not to mention it would taste amazing with your morning coffee.
Needless to say, there’s no wrong time of day to enjoy this sweet fall treat. The smell of baking apples and berries will make your house smell amazing. Don’t stress if you don’t have blackberries, just swap them for a berry you do have (ideally blueberries but raspberries work too). Served warm or cold, this is sure to be a recipe on heavy rotation this fall.
Apple Blackberry Crisp
1/2 cup butter, softened and divided
5 cups apples, washed and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups blackberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 10-inch cast iron pan with one tablespoon softened butter. Wash and chop apples into bite-size pieces. Combine the apples and blackberries in a bowl. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice, giving the mixture a good stir to combine.
In a separate small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Pour the cornstarch-water over the apples and blackberries. Mix to combine and then transfer the fruit to the prepared pan. Turn heat to medium-low and stirring occasionally, allow the liquid to thicken, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Use a whisk to combine. Add the remaining 7 tablespoons softened butter to the bowl. Using two forks or a pastry knife, work the butter into the oat mixture until a crumble forms with pea-size pieces.
Turn the heat off to the fruit mixture. Carefully top the fruit with the crisp topping and transfer the preheated oven. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the crisp topping is golden brown and the juices are thick and bubbly around the edges of the pan.
Remove the crisp from the oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with dollops of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. Serves 6.