Thursday, August 11, 2011

Peach and Apricot Crisps

When I saw apricots at the farmer's market, I knew I had to come up with a great summer recipe for stone fruit since the rest of the fruits weren't far behind. As much as I like to bake, I know everyone's not quite as crazy as I am, so I decided to make this one grill-friendly.

If you wanted to, you could make this in the oven - if you happen to have something in there. But if you've got the grill roaring, why not take advantage of it and make dessert at the same time?

Another advantage is that it cooks fast. The fruit doesn't need a lot of cooking - although a slightly longer cooking time doesn't hurt if you get distracted. And the topping is ready-to-eat before you put it on, so it doesn't need more cooking although a little crisping is nice.

Oh, and the recipe is written for individual servings, so you can make as much or as little as you want. Feed a crowd, or just one or two.

And the prep work can be done ahead of time. How much better does it get?

How about this? When it comes to desserts, this one's almost good for you. Instead of a traditional sugary topping, I opted for granola. It adds nice texture, but it's better for you.

As far as leftovers, it's pretty good with yogurt in the morning, too.

The only slightly difficult part is that you need grill-safe vessels to cook in. I have miniature cast iron dutch ovens which are perfect for the job, and are a perfect single-serving size as well. They also retain heat well. I took these off the grill along with the rest of the meal, and the fruit was still hot when we were finished with dinner.

If you don't have something appropriately small, you can make larger batches. The presentation won't be as pretty when you serve, and it might take a little longer to cook, but it will be just fine.

Peach and Apricot Crisp

per serving:
1 peach
1 apricot
1-3 teaspoons sugar (to taste)
2 - 4 tablespoons granola
1 teaspoon (a thin slice) butter

Peel the fruits, remove the pits, and slice into thin wedges. Arrange the fruit in your baking vessel. Add sugar, as desired. If the fruit is very ripe and sweet, you won't need much. If it's a little more tart, add more. This is a great recipe if your fruit is slightly under-ripe. The cooking will soften it, but you probably will need to add more sugar to compensate.

You could also use other stone fruits – nectarines, plums, cherries – they’d all be just as good. Use what you like and what’s in season. If you’ve got dried fruits on hand, they’d make a nice accent as well, but limit those additions - this is about the fresh, seasonal fruit.

Add the granola - as much as you want, really. Use your favorite granola, but keep in mind that it needs to complement the fruit. Top with the butter.

Cook the crisps on your grill, with the grill cover on, until the mixture is bubbling hot, about 10 minutes, depending on the heat of the grill. If you need to leave the grill open, it will still cook, but will take a little longer and the topping won't get any crisper.

Serve warm. It's great as-is, but a small scoop of ice cream wouldn't hurt.

Note: If you want to prep these in advance, slice the fruit, put in in your baking containers, and add the sugar. Add the granola just before cooking - you don't want it to start getting soggy.
Yum

1 comment:

Michael said...

Yum! I keep coming in your blogs because of your healthy recipes.

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