Recipe: Apricot Crisp

Apricot Crisp

Serves four.

Ingredients:

Fruit Layer:

3 cups apricots
1/4 cup dried cherries
1 tbsp kirsch (optional)
1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsps corn starch

Crumble Layer:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 cup granulated sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes and softened
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tbsp chopped pistachios

To prepare the fruit layer:

Add the kirsch (if using) to the dried cherries and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cut apricots into slices and place in a bowl; add the 1/4 cup sugar.

In a small bowl, dissolve the corn starch in the lemon juice. Pour over the apricot mixture.

Add the cherries.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish (I use a glass casserole dish)

To prepare the crumble layer:

Mix together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon, salt and chopped pistachios. Add the butter, rubbing the mixture between your fingers until it crumbles coarsely.

Sprinkle half the topping over the fruit layer and bake for 15 minutes in a 375 F oven. Sprinkle on the rest of the topping and bake a further 15 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream -- note, if you are not serving with ice cream, you might wish to increase the amount of sugar in the fruit layer, as the apricot mixture is quite tart.