Good Eats: Killer Crisp Crust

This is a delicious crust that is perfect for fall fruit crisps! It caramelizes in that melt-in-your-mouth sort of way and creates a crispy-sweet shell for roasted apples, pears, figs… or whatever happens to be in season.

It’s such an easy recipe that it’s one of my go-tos when I need a fancy dessert but am short on time – and I literally make it with any fruit that’s sitting in our glass fruit bowl at that moment.

On this particular summer’s day, I had a few extra pears and a whole lotta figs from our neighbor’s tree. So pear & fig crisp it was.

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Killer Crisp Recipe

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Ingredients

*3/4 cup flour
*2/3 cup (packed) brown sugar
*1 teaspoon cinnamon
*1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
*6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

{2.} Blend in butter with fingertips until mixture forms small clumps.

{3.} Prepare the inside of your baking container by greasing it with butter.

{4.} Press crust into edges of baking pan until a layer 1/4″ or so forms.

{5.} Layer in fruit slices and add pats/spreads of apple butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

{6.} Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes (since every oven and climate is different, look for an initial browning of the crust).

{7.} Remove foil and bake 10-20 minutes until sugars and fruit caramelize. Don’t remove until poking with a fork results in a firm crust – the more carmelized, the better!

{8.} Let stand for at least 30 minutes, serve with a sprig of mint and vanilla ice cream!

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Try this dish with apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, strawberries, blueberries… you name it. I love crisps because they’re quick and easy, you could even freeze the dough in portion-sized balls for future thawing. Note: not an ideal recipe for pies, this is really and truly a crispy-sweet crust.

The perfect summer-meets-fall dessert!