before summer is up

August 30 2010 by Kristin at The Kitchen Sink in Dessert » 32 comments

My cell phone rang on Friday as I was sitting at my desk, in my office. I looked over at the buzzing black device and saw that it was my mother calling. It’s unusual for her to call in the middle of a work day and a knot of worry immediately formed in my gut.

And, it turns out, it was an emergency.

A cooking emergency, that is. She had the afternoon off from work and was busily preparing to cook dinner for a bunch of my parents’ friends that night. She’d laid out her menu and was ticking items off her to do list, but when the time came to get started on dessert, the apple crisp she had planned no longer seemed right. The cooler days earlier that week had given way to a return of summer temperatures. A hot dessert—one starring autumn’s favorite fruit, no less—would not do.

Happily, I had just the solution. She could stay in the crisp category, but I advised her to leave the apples in the crisper drawer and instead undergird the oaty topping with jammy, tart, and—importantly—summery blueberries. The recipe was at the tip of my tongue because I’ve made it a handful of times this summer. I surprised myself by knowing the ingredients and steps by heart. I hadn’t realized that over the course of the summer, the recipe had become a staple. I think it’s only at the end of a season that you take stock of the new recipes that you relied on over and over that year, that will become part of your repertoire for years to come.

And it’s true. Summer is slipping away. The signs are everywhere: back-to-school ads, scarves and sweaters lining the shelves at shops, the first apples at the farmers’ markets, wilting hydrangea bushes, earlier sunsets, a gradual loosening of humidity’s vicegrip on this city.

But it’s not gone yet. There’s still time for this blueberry crisp. My mom imformed me that the crisp was a hit at her Friday night dinner party (and, truth be told, on Saturday morning, when she had a scoop of the leftovers for breakfast—just don’t tell her I told you about this). Maybe there’s even time for it to become one of my mom’s summer staples, too, before the summer is up.

Blueberry Crisp
Martha Stewart

Serves 8

This is perfect served slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. As for the leftovers, I think a splash of cold cream or a dollop of thick yogurt would be lovely—especially for breakfast.

For the filling:

6 cups (3 pints) blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

For the topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (or chopped nuts, such as almonds)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: Mix blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish.

Make the topping: Stir together flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until pale and fluffy. Stir dry ingredients into butter. Using your hands, squeeze topping pieces together into clumps.

Sprinkle topping evenly over 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.

32 comments so far. »
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Jessica @ How Sweet says on August 30 2010 at 4:49 am:

It definitely looks like it was a hit! But I am ready for Fall and cooler weather!
Avanika (Yumsilicious Bakes) says on August 30 2010 at 4:57 am:

This looks deliciously good. But summer’s long gone for me, can’t wait for nice autumn-y recipes!
Tabitha (From Single to Married) says on August 30 2010 at 5:03 am:

oh yum… that looks fantastic! May just be the perfect dish to use up all the blueberries I have sitting in my fridge (Costco anyone?).
TheKitchenWitch says on August 30 2010 at 7:05 am:

I love a good crisp or crumble–in my book, it beats pie any day.
Half Assed Kitchen says on August 30 2010 at 8:30 am:

Mmm. I’m thinking blackberries.
Shaheen says on August 30 2010 at 8:38 am:

The crisp looks so good. I like how the crisp stands so distinctly upon the juicy berries without getting soggy. Finally, we have blueberries at our market – although at an astronomical price – I can’t wait to try this.
Kim @ Two Good Cookies says on August 30 2010 at 9:35 am:

Too cute. Isn’t it funny when we reach the stage where our mothers are asking us for cooking advice? The crisp looks divine.
Rose-Anne says on August 30 2010 at 6:10 pm:

You are totally right about how recipes slip into our repertoires without much intention on our part. For dinner tonight, I made a pasta dish with fresh tomatoes and caramelized onions that has become part of my summer rotation–I feel pretty confident it will be back next year! But the best dishes let you tinker with them
Sues says on August 30 2010 at 6:29 pm:

That’s exactly what I said in my post today Fall doesn’t start until September 21, so there’s still plenty of time for a few of these. And thank goodness, because it looks amazing
Nicole @ the dirty oven says on August 30 2010 at 7:47 pm:

Sounds and looks wonderful. I love summer, but have to say I am excited for fall. Love football, halloween and my son’s first birthday. Thanks for sharing.
Emily says on August 31 2010 at 5:25 am:

Yum. I’m going to work this in while I can.
Barbara says on August 31 2010 at 6:45 am:

I love recipes like this, Kristin. The problem is that I end up eating the top all off! Crisps and crumbles are so delicious; especially with ice cream!
ingrid says on August 31 2010 at 7:03 am:

Crisps, cobblers they’re all good.

My Mom has taken to calling me with baking questions, and even some cooking ones. Kinda weird.
~ingrid
my little expat kitchen says on August 31 2010 at 7:04 am:

This looks so so good. I’ve never made anything like this before. I am Greek and we don’t usually make this type of desserts. I can’t wait to try it though.
Magda
Jacqui says on August 31 2010 at 10:10 am:

oh summer, please don’t leave. i love how you’ve repeated the recipe so many times this summer that you memorized it! i could say the same thing about corn chowder.
Maddie says on August 31 2010 at 6:35 pm:

For someone who writes about trying new recipes, having a dessert to make over and over must be a nice change! Sometimes, I think, comfort is familiarity.
Jess says on September 01 2010 at 4:41 am:

Aaaand now I want crisp for breakfast. Kristin, your photos are slaying me these days!
The Rowdy Chowgirl says on September 01 2010 at 11:02 am:

I’m not ready for fall! If a blueberry crisp will help me hold on to summer a little longer, then I’m all for it.
heather @ chiknpastry says on September 01 2010 at 11:37 am:

i am convinced, after yours and one other blog post of recent, that i have got to go grab some blueberries again before it’s too late!
bethani says on September 02 2010 at 11:07 am:

I absolutely love your blog and all the awesome pictures of your food!

I hope you dont mind me adding you to my blog roll – as I have finally decided to put one together!

Thanks again for all the wonderful yummies to read and enjoy.

-bethani
jodye @ 'scend food says on September 02 2010 at 2:09 pm:

This crisp looks wonderful and perfectly summery; very good call on the blueberries. I may have to go ahead and make this now, as I have a bounty of blueberries in the fridge just waiting to be eaten!
kickpleat says on September 02 2010 at 7:07 pm:

It’s been a while since I’ve had a crisp and this one looks fantastic. Must buy blueberries soon! And peaches! And whatever else is the last taste of summer.
Tracy says on September 03 2010 at 6:20 am:

Yes sad to say summer is slowly slipping away, but will be glad for the fall bounty to come in…not to mention no more humidity!!!
Beautiful crisp.
Julie says on September 03 2010 at 2:45 pm:

Lovely looking crisp! I always think of peach, blueberry or blackberry crisps as being the perfect, sweet farewell to summer…
Jenn Sutherland says on September 04 2010 at 7:26 am:

Haha! I’m glad I’m not the only one receiving “emergency” calls from mom at work…that turn out to be menu consultation sessions (very embarassing in cubeland)! The crisp looks great, and you definitely steered your mom in the right direction!
Sagan says on September 04 2010 at 7:36 am:

Delightful.
The Teacher Cooks says on September 07 2010 at 10:35 am:

This is my idea of the perfect dessert. I have to enjoy the last of the seasons bluberries and this is just the recipe.
diane says on September 07 2010 at 6:26 pm:

I’m late to comment but I wanted to see if I got killed for the breakfast option. Those are always the best…and so are you.Thanks for saving the day! MOM
A Busy Nest says on September 08 2010 at 2:51 pm:

No more fresh blueberries saddens me. Blueberries are a main part of our diet in summer.
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on September 13 2010 at 3:46 am:

Thanks everyone! (And apologies for the delayed response — I’ve been away on vacation. More on that soon!)

The Kitchen Witch: I agree — so much easier, but you get many of the same benefits — jammy cooked fruit, a buttery topping. And a crisp, of course, begs for ice cream all the same.

Half-Assed Kitchen: Yes!

Emily: Hi! I miss you — let’s catch up soon.

Jacqui: Well, now I want corn chowder (for breakfast, mind you). : ).

Jess: Thank you, thank you. So kind.

Mom: You knew I wouldn’t be able to help myself. : ) xo.
Caroline says on September 13 2010 at 2:19 pm:

Hi there, haven’t visited in awhile and glad to see you are still cooking, baking and taking gorgeous photos. Hope to catch up this fall!
Dianne says on September 14 2010 at 2:08 pm:

I just love this crisp! Unfortunately the price of blueberries skyrocketed this week at my market. Instead of 3 pints of blueberries, I used one pint of blueberries and 5 cut-up peaches. I still got that “summer taste” with the blueberry flavor still coming through.