Double-Crust Peach Crisp

Going to the Farmers' Market in Hutchinson was just peachy. We just happened to be in Hutchinson on a Wednesday, so I brought my ice chest to snag some produce fresh from the farm.

It's been a good year for tomatoes here on the County Line, but we don't plant a big garden. (Yes, I am a failure as a farm wife if you are keeping score with gardening prowess.) 

Among my farmers' market purchases were fresh Kansas peaches. They were delicious eaten "as is," but then I saw a whole page of peach dessert recipes in our High Plains Journal. I had just enough peaches left to try one of the recipes.

The Peach Crisp recipe was a little different because it had a bottom crust as well as a crisp topping for double the "yum." The original recipe used canned peaches, but with fresh peaches on my counter, I jigsaw-puzzled my way to create a recipe to use them.

I have been seeing ads for Colorado peaches, so even if the Kansas peach season is over, our neighbors to the west have their world-famous fruit available for us now! Top with a scoop of ice cream.

It's just peachy. Really.

Double-Crust Peach Crisp

Adapted from the High Plains Journal

and Angie Sutton at Mother's Apron Strings

Bottom Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, cubed

Filling:
4 cups sliced fresh peaches
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. lemon juice

Crisp topping
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
5 tbsp. butter, cubed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender until crumbly. Pat into the bottom of a 9-inch-square pan (I used an 8.5 X 10" oblong pan.) Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, combine cornstarch, sugar and cinnamon, mixing together. Add sliced peaches and lemon juice. Cook on the top of the stove, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. (You may do this step in the microwave, using a microwave-safe bowl. Cook at intervals, stirring every couple of minutes, until the mixture is thickened.

When the bottom crust is baked, pour thickened peaches over the baked crust.

Topping: Combine all ingredients, incorporating the butter with a pastry blender. Sprinkle topping evenly over the peach filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

***

A satellite problem with my internet company has had me MIA again for part of the week. However, this outage only lasted a day and a half, much more palatable than the 2 weeks I was without service earlier this month. The search continues for a new internet provider. I have someone coming to see if they can provide service. I'm trying not to get my hopes up ... but they are. We shall see!

Red, White and Blueberry Crisp

Hooray for the red, white and blue!

Can  you believe we turn the calendar to July today? I can't. The countdown to the 4th of July has people thinking fireworks and potlucks. And while nothing is more American than apple pie (so they say), this Red, White and Blueberry Crisp will put people in a patriotic mood, too.

The red comes from fresh raspberries and strawberries. The blue comes from succulent blueberries. And the white comes from coconut, a little twist on the traditional crisp topping. South Dakota blogger Brenda put together this salute to summer fruits on her blog, "A farmgirl's dabbles."

I just got my small-town grocery store flyer for the week, and the sale on these fresh berries continues here, as well as at the bigger stores. I love this time of year, when I don't have to feel guilty about adding fresh berries to my grocery cart and bill.

I made this crisp for a harvest dessert yesterday, and it got good reviews from the guys. I like the convenience of a making a crisp instead of a pie, though Randy did get his blueberry pie for Father's Day.

After I made an unexpected parts run to Hutchinson yesterday evening, we are back up and running in the wheat harvest field. If everything holds together - machinery AND people - we should be done sometime today. That's reason to celebrate, too! Fingers crossed everyone!

Red, White and Blue Crisp

Adapted from A Farmgirl's Dabbles blog

Filling
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups fresh chopped strawberries (about 1/2-inch pieces)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp. Minute Tapioca

Topping
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For filling:  Put berries in large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and fold gently. In a smaller bowl, combine sugar, lemon zest, cornstarch and tapioca, mixing well. Sprinkle half of the dry mix over the berries and fold gentl. Sprinkle remaining dry mix over berries and fold again. Set aside.

For topping: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, salt and baking powder. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture is combined and about the size of large peas. Add coconut, using the pastry cutter to cut it in.

To assemble:  Stir the berry mixture again. Pour it into a 12- by 8- by 2-inch pan and spread evenly. Top with the topping mixture, evenly distributing it over the berries. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until berries are bubbling and the coconut crisp is nicely browned. Remove to wire rack to cool.

The crisp is best when eaten after it has cooled 30-60 minutes so the berry filling is still warm, but the topping is still crisp. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Serves 8 to 10.

Notes:

•  Brenda from a farmgirl's dabbles put her crisp in a 9-inch square pan. I decided to spread mine out a little in a 12- by 8-inch pan. I thought that gave a good mix of berries to crisp.
• To have the berries peeking out of the crisp, nestle a few extra berries in the coconut topping before baking. (Unless you're trying to get a photo, it's not necessary!) 
• Leftovers are tasty, but just like all fresh fruit crisps, the topping isn't as crisp once it has set and absorbed the moisture from the fresh berries.