I love fruit. Really, I do. It's just that it is so much better when it is mixed with sugar and topped with butter. Every time I have bought fruit this summer, particularly peaches or nectarines, it has gone bad before we even get around to eating it. Let's blame it on the hot, humid weather and not our inability to stick to a healthy diet.
I bought some nectarines and blueberries this week and promised myself that we WOULD eat it all before it went bad.
First, you'll need to peel and slice up your nectarines. I used four because that was how many I had. I mixed the nectarine pieces in a bowl with two pints of blueberries. You can adjust the proportions to your liking.
Next, you dump about 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp of cardamom (I know that is kind of a wacky spice but I love it...if you don't you can use nutmeg) and 3 tablespoons of corn starch on top of your fruit. I like to use corn starch in desserts like this because it thickens up the juices that will come out of the fruit. There is nothing worse than a watery mess of a dessert.
Mix it all up so the fruit is coated and gooey.
Next step is the "crisp" part. Now, a lot of people prefer to use oats and nuts in their crisps to make them healthier. Feel free. Thats fine. However, the recipe I grew up making involves butter, flour, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Mix your dry ingredients together in a separate bowl from the fruit.
Now comes the butter. Cut up about 4 tablespoons of cold butter and add them to your dry ingredients. Now, you can be fancy and use a pastry cutter or food processor for this part but I don't like to dirty unnecessary dishes that I'll just have to wash later. I use my fingers (clean of course!) to "massage" the butter into the dry ingredients. Work the butter into the dry ingredients until it clumps together when pressed.
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| sorry, I don't have a picture of it after the "massage" my hands were too messy |
Next, grease a square baking pan and pour your fruit into it.
Sprinkle the crisp mixture on top.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes in a 375°F oven until you see the fruit bubbling.
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| like so |
mmmmm sugar and butter....uhh I mean...seasonal fruits! yeah... fruit...
Blueberry and Nectarine Cobbler
4 good sized nectarines peeled and sliced
2 pints of blueberries
1/4 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of corn starch
1/2 tsp cardamom (or nutmeg)
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 375°F
Mix fruit, sugar, corn starch and cardamom together in a bowl.
In another bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Add butter and incorporate with your fingers.
Lightly butter a 9 inch square baking dish. Position oven rack to the center position.
Pour your fruit mixture into pan. Sprinkle cobbler on top.
Bake for 40-45 mixture or until the fruit is bubbling and the top is browned. Serve warm.
