cherry crisp

What’s the difference between a crisp and a crumble? The terms are often used interchangeably, but in England, from whence they originate, a crisp contains rolled oats in the topping and a crumble does not.

When you need a homey dessert in a hurry, this one is perfect. You can switch out the butter for vegan butter for a dairy free treat. Most likely, you can put together a crisp with ingredients you have on hand, provided you have some fresh fruit. In a pinch, you can also use frozen fruit, but don’t try to substitute with canned fruit, or even worse, canned pie filling. The texture won’t be right.

While this recipe is specifically for a cherry crisp, feel free to use other fruits, such as peaches, pears, apples, nectarines, or plums—the riper the better. Tonight, I’m making this as part of my menu for Parasha Vayera.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

• 6 cups pitted cherries

• ¾ cup sugar, divided

• 2 tablespoons bourbon

• 2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided

• ¼ teaspoon cardamom

• ¼ teaspoon

• pinch salt

• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons flour

• 2/3 cup rolled oats

• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

 Method:

• Preheat oven to 350°.

• Butter a 9” round or square baking pan, or use a 9” cast iron skillet.

• In a medium bowl, toss the cherries with ½ cup of the sugar, the bourbon, the vanilla, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, the rest of the spices, the salt, and the 2½ tablespoons flour.  Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.

• In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup flour, the oats, the pecans, the remaining ½ cinnamon, and the remaining ¼ cup sugar.  Stir in the melted butter.

• Using your fingers, sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the cherries. 

• Bake for about 50 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden.

• You can serve the cherry crumble with a scoop of ice cream, a dollop of freshly made whipped cream, or a squirt of canned whipped cream. For a non-dairy finish, add a squirt of whipped coconut cream.

Note—To make whipped cream: In the bowl of a mixer, combine 1 cup heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract, and 2—3 tablespoons sugar. (Make sure your ingredients and equipment are very cold, for best results. Beat until your cream turns into whipped cream. Serve with the above crumble, or on anything else…including your fingers…