BERRY CRISP WITH DRIED BERRIES

This recipe is kind of a freehand project. Use whatever dried berries you can find or omit if none are available. Use a mixture of pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and flax seeds omitting any you do not like, or only use one seed. The same applies to the nuts. I usually use about 2 tbsp (30 mL) of each of the different seeds and only one or two kinds of nuts. Reheat to warm when ready to serve.

2 cups (500 mL) blueberries, fresh or frozen

½ cup (125 mL) dried berries such as sea buckthorn berries or haskap

¼ cup (60 mL) sugar

2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice

½ tsp (2 mL) lemon zest

TOPPING

½ cup (125 mL) mixed seeds

½ cup (125 mL) mixed nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds

⅓ cup (80 mL) rolled oats

¼ cup (60 mL) cold butter

¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

2 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar

1 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2 Combine blueberries, dried berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and lemon zest in a bowl. Spoon into two 4½-inch (11-cm) gratin dishes.

3 In a food processor, pulse seeds and nuts with oats, butter, salt and sugar until coarsely chopped and combined. Spoon on top of the berry mixture.

4 Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is crisp and fruit is bubbling. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

Serves 2