Cherry Berry Crisp

A lot of us make berry desserts for the fall and winter holidays. What many of us probably don't know, though, is that those fresh berries are very likely coming from Chile. Because it's in the southern hemisphere, Chile's summer is during our winter. Thanks to this Foods from Chile recipe, we can enjoy those summer fruits in a dish that is cozy and comforting and would fit right in with hearty, cold-weather fare like roast turkey and whipped sweet potatoes. 

Or, as in the case of the dinner party I recently hosted, this crisp is also a fantastic way to top off a meal of endive salad with raspberries, clementines and goat cheese; chilled avocado lime soup with chives and walnuts; and almond-crusted salmon with salsa and black rice (all recipes to come soon).

Ingredients

(serves about 6)

For The Filling

• 2 cups of Blueberries
• 2 cups of Raspberries
• 2 cups of Cherries
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½  TB cornstarch
• 1 TB fresh lemon juice
• pinch of salt

For The Topping

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oats
• ¾  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 TB unsalted butter, softened

All those colors = antioxidants!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: Mix blueberries, raspberries, cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish (a 9-inch square will work as well).

Stir together flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and butter.  Blend mixture until coarse and then squeeze topping pieces together into clumps and drop atop fruit filling.

Bake until bubbling in center and brown on top, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

I wish I had video of the bubbling berries when I took the pan out of the oven...

I served mine with some vanilla ice cream. It was divine...and it was a hit: we scraped the pan clean! This photo was snapped by the fabulous Brianne of Cupcakes & Kale Chips—doesn't it look yummy?

When i make this again—and I assure you, I will—I will substitute 1/4c whole wheat pastry flour + 1/4 cup almond flour for the 1/2c all-purpose flour in the topping.

Check out the other recipes from the meal: Chilled Avocado Lime Soup; Endive Salad with Raspberries, Clementines, and Goat Cheese; and Almond-Crusted Salmon!

For more information on Foods from Chile, go to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Use #FoodsFromChile and #NowInSeason to check out the pictures and posts about this nationwide dinner party event on Twitter.