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Here's the basic fruit crisp recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.
Fruit Crisp
5 cups sliced, peeled cooking apples, pears, peaches, apricots, OR frozen unsweetened peach slices
2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup regular rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped nuts or coconut
- For filling, thaw fruit, if frozen. Do not drain. Place fruit in 2-quart square baking dish. Stir in granulated sugar.
- For topping, in medium bowl combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon. Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. stir in nuts or coconut. Sprinkle crumbs over filling.
- Bake in a 375F oven for 30-35 minutes (40 minutes for thawed fruit) or till fruit is tender and topping is golden.
My Adaptation
- I used 3 pears, diced and NOT peeled, and about half a bag of fresh cranberries - basically enough to cover the bottom of my dish. I kept adding pears and cranberries until I liked how the proportions looked in the dish.
- I probably used more like 6 heaping spoonfuls of white sugar, and if I'd thought about it I probably would have stirred in a few tablespoons of flour to thicken the filling, although it was nice as it was - not too juicy but not dry.
- I have no idea how big my baking dish was. I just picked one that looked like it would hold enough for everyone. It was an oval CorningWare dish that came with a wire carrying rack.
- I used whole wheat flour and about 3/4 stick of butter in the topping, and I used a food processor to cut in the butter. Then I remembered the oats and used a pastry blender to add them.
- I used nutmeg, cinnamon, AND ginger. :) And no coconut (I didn't have any) and no nuts (I didn't feel like chopping them).
I've also made this successfully with frozen blueberries and cranberries. I usually just eyeball the amounts - which is kind of how I cook everything. It's not very useful for sharing recipes, though! :)
