(Pastry Fairy’s) Fruit Crisp

This is an excellent dessert to make at any time of year, and it multiplies easy, so you can make it for four or forty. The recipe I give here is approximate and can be augmented, played around with, and reinvented to your heart’s content. I tend to prefer putting less sugar in the fruit, and more lemon juice, but you may change this ratio if you wish.

To serve four:

• 4 cups thinly sliced fruit (apples, pears, stone fruit, etc) or small whole fruit (like berries)
• 1 to 3 tablespoons white or brown sugar, depending on natural sweetness of fruit
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup each: flour, brown sugar, and rolled oats
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the fruit, sugar, lemon juice, and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour into a greased baking pan and spread about evenly. In the same bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, and flour. Stir in melted butter and mix until crumblies form. It should have some clumps and some wet-sand looking parts. Spread this evenly over the fruit. Bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on ripeness and hardness of fruit.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS

To the fruit:

• 1/2 cup dried fruit of choice (raisins, cranberries, currants, apricots etc.)
• 1/4 cup fruit juice, for a moister crisp

To the crisp topping:

• 1/2 cup toasted, chopped nuts
• Spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

SERVE WITH

• Ice cream
• Yogurt
• Whipped cream
• Cold milk poured over the top
• Caramel sauce