Golden age of the crisp
Paging through the August O, the Oprah Magazine, I stumbled across a beautiful photo of baked blueberries with a golden-brown crust. Baked fruit with crust is one of my favorite things to eat, so I ripped out the page, took it home and made it. Here it is, so delicious, and with its cookie crust, it tastes like a new kind of crisp.
Blueberry Sugar-Cookie Crisp
4 pints (about 2 pounds)
blueberries 1½ cups sugar, divided 1½ teaspoons salt, divided Zest of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons lemon juice ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 cup butter softened 1 tablespoon light brown
sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Ice cream, for serving
Instructions: In a large bowl, combine the berries, ½ cup of the sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and cinnamon. Stir, mashing the berries slightly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside. With the paddle attachment, beat the butter, remaining 1 cup sugar and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy; scrape down the sides and beat again.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Strain berries, saving the juice. Boil the juice until reduced by half. Place the berries in a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Pour the juice over the berries.
Scoop balls of the sugar-cookie dough and flatten between your palms to about ½-inch thick. Lay the flattened balls over the berries to almost cover. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake about an hour, until the topping is golden. Serve warm with ice cream.