Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients

• 4 cups blueberries
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• ½ cup pecans (or walnuts)
• ½ cup almond meal (or ¼ cup almond meal and ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup olive oil (or coconut oil)

Preparation

My original recipe, from Bread & Wine, calls for olive oil, because basically you always have it, even if you’re out of almost everything else. But lately I’ve been making it with coconut oil, and adding in some unsweetened coconut flakes in place of some of the almond meal. You can use almost any fruit—I love a combination of black cherries and blueberries, or peaches and blueberries. And you can absolutely use frozen fruit—just make sure to bake it for a little longer. And I like pecans, but you can use walnuts if you like them better. You can use butter in the place of oil and brown sugar in place of maple syrup—a much more traditional crisp. I’m sure what you’re sensing is that basically, you can adjust or change this recipe in almost any way, and it is still easy and delicious.

Pour the berries into a baking dish—I like our red Le Creuset ceramic baker best, but there are any number of good options, and if everything’s dirty, I’ll make it in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients with a fork, and then pour it over the berries. Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, or until just a little brown. If you’re waiting for a deep rich brown, you’ll be waiting forever, so just pull it out when the fruit is bubbling and there’s a little golden color on the crisp.