Sunday, July 15, 2012

Nectarine and Strawberry Crisp with Rose Sugar


I remember I remember cafeteria lunches in elementary and high school...  Unlike Thomas Hood’s memories, however, this one is not too positive.  In elementary school, I probably just threw most of the food out.  I was a bit of a brat.  Now, of course, I can look back and just say I was “discriminating.”  Once I got into high school, however, we had many more food choices.  You could get limp and tasteless salad, for example, or bland, gelatinous soup, or whatever the main course pretended to be that day.  Or, you could get junk food… packaged chocolate chip cookies, gummy bears, chips, pretzels, etc.  Naturally, this was where I spent my lunch money.  I can feel my mom’s chagrin as she reads this. Seriously, it was a no win situation.  But, there were a few exceptions to my forays into junk food nirvana, from which, in just a few short hours, I would come down and be hungry again.  Chicken patties would usually lure me into their web of crispy goodness.  Spaghetti would occasionally get me.  But the real gem, when it was available, was apple crisp.  Sure, you had to order it with all the not-so-great “real” food, but it was worth it for the apple crisp.  The apple crisp wasn’t spectacular, by any means.  But at least it tried.  It attempted to bring something delicious to the sparse offerings known as public school cafeterias.  And I appreciated its attempts.  So in honor of that apple crisp, here is another crisp with strawberries and nectarines (or peaches if you have them on hand).  And by the way, I’m really lazy, so I don’t peel the peaches/nectarines.  By all means, go for it if that’s what floats your boat, but I don’t think it is worth the time. 

Ingredients 
2/3 cup oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup brown sugar
pinch salt
2 tablespoons ground almonds
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dried rose
4 nectarines or peaches, sliced
1 1/2 cups halved strawberries
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions
Place the dried rose and the sugar in a spice grinder or food processor and pulse together.  Set aside.  I like to do this at least a few hours before making the rest of the crisp so that the sugar can mingle with the rose for awhile. 

Heat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, almonds, and flax seeds.  Pour in melted butter.  Blend the butter with the oat mixture.  It may help to use a fork.  Once the mixture is coated with the butter, set aside.

Place the nectarine slices and strawberries in a large bowl, and gently mix them with the rose sugar, vinegar, and cornstarch.  Place in a greased baking dish (I used a 9-inch round pan).  Sprinkle the oat and brown sugar mixture on top of the fruit.  Bake for 45 minutes. 

48 comments:

  1. Love this! It definitely screams summer and I love this combo!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't usually peel fruit either. I tell myself it's because of the extra nutrients! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love crisps and with nectarine/peach I can only imagine the delicious taste of this!Healthy and indulgent!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't peel things either and have no problems confessing it is sheer laziness. Or lack of time. Probably both actually. I've had crisp in the back if my mind lately. I have everything but the peaches so I may sub in some frozen rhubarb.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh I love a good crisp, and this strawberry nectarine combo sounds amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love crisps and cobblers! Nectarine and strawberry sound like the perfect pair...110% times better than cafeteria apple crisps, I'm sure. :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. This sounds like a healthy crisp recipe. I've shared it with my twitter friends - it looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I swear there is nothing better than a fresh fruit crisp in the summertime. This looks absolutely delicious. I wish I had fruit crisps in my school lunch, we were not that lucky!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This crisp looks absolutely gorgeous my friend - so delicious and warming :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ha! Your school lunches sound like mine too lol. This crisp looks beautiful and gourmet yet comforting and deeelicious :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would reserve that delicious top layer all to myself I think and then savour each mouthful of the fruit underneath :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a gorgeous dessert! The rose sugar is a really nice touch!

    ReplyDelete
  13. this is wonderful love the two fruits, and wow the rose sugar you have mad this special

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh my goodness. I want more dessert!! This looks SO good!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This crisp looks amazing! And, it's not pretending to be anything else but the delicious crisp that it is.

    BTW, I too hated school cafeteria food. I survived off fries.

    ReplyDelete
  16. You certainly caught my eye with rose sugar! What a gorgeous crisp!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ooh! I wish I would have had this recipe when I had nectarines to use! This looks absolutely delicious (however, I just heard on NPR that food "writers" should never use adjectives like delicious and tasty). Mouth watering?

    ReplyDelete
  18. One word "Stunning". Want to eat it now, please.

    ReplyDelete
  19. DELISH!!! perfect way to say the sentiment.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I don't think we had any non-packaged dessert options in my high school or elementary schools but if we had, I would have eaten them up in a heartbeat! This crisp of yours sounds so lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Peeling fruit is a pain in the behind. I don't like to do it either.

    The best dessert we had in school were the fresh baked cookies. They shipped in the dough (of course) and the lunch ladies under cooked them just a bit to make them all soft and gooey, and you could get three big cookies for a dollar. That and the fake rib sandwiches were the only things that could lure me away from my usual pop tarts and snapple.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am a lover of rose flavor. You certainly hit the spot using rose sugar. There are not that many people who likes rose flavor. I use a lot and can tell the delicate flavor this crisp would have. Have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love crisps! I made a strawberry crisp, but I love your variation....it sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Mmmm, what a great choice for a crisp! The rose sugar sounds like a fantastic floral idea too =)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Crisps are one of my favorite things to make in the summer. I can't handle pie dough, so this is my fix :-) I really like the use of rose in this too.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I almost never peel fruit for desserts--so glad someone else doesn't either. This crisp looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Any kind of crisp is a favorite of mine! Love that rose sugar making it extra special!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I must say my high school had amazing food! :D But unfortunately we had no apple crisps! You're hilarious as always :D

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love the tender fruity filling inside topped with the crispy layer on top! Pure decadence! :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. I've been eating white peaches lately but it's time to grab nectarines next. I bought oats the other day for the first time hoping that I can make crisp. Next is flax seeds. I love nectarine and strawberries so this recipe sounds really good to me!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love the idea of the rose sugar, did you dry the roses yourself. I have roses blooming now and I want to use the petals in some dish but not sure what to do. Love your crip it looks wonderful and fruity with that nice crispy topping.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Beautiful crisp, Seth and Jenn. The rose sugar is very provocative and I bet the floral notes smell wonderfully with the abundance of fruit!

    ReplyDelete
  33. We're on the same page this week with crisps :) I just bought a 1 lb of peaches to make a peach crisp tonight! I loveee your nectarine strawberry combo and the rose water is so interesting, I've never seen one like this!

    ReplyDelete
  34. This dessert combines both sweet and fruits! I am sure it tasted so good!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Beautiful combination of fruits and that crumble of crispy topping makes it all the more tempting. Delicious and beautiful dish, indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Balsamic Vinegar and Strawberries are meant to be, I'm glad you didn't separate them bc then they'd be so unhappy =D

    ReplyDelete
  37. Strawberries and nectarines?! I love this combo!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Oh, this combination of fruits must be fantastic in a crisp! And I love an oatmeal topping. This discriminating foodie gives it a thumbs up!

    ReplyDelete
  39. This really sounds amazing! I don't see nectarines used nearly enough. I bet the rose sugar is a great compliment to the fruit!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Both of my favourite fruits in a crisps sounds heavenly. And healthy treat too :).. I wonder if I could still get some nectarines in our local supermarket.. Time to do some shopping for me. I have been so behind in baking, that I think I am losing my edge. Thanks for stopping by too..really appreciate it! Cheers, Jo

    ReplyDelete
  41. Oh it looks lush!! I love the addition of rose and balsamic vinegar - sounds lovely x

    ReplyDelete
  42. What a summery and delicious sweet treat!

    ReplyDelete
  43. This is my kind of crisp! I love strawberries and nectarines, and the rose sugar sounds fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  44. This looks fantastic!! Definitely gonna give it a try :) Check out my blog for future ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  45. It's nice to know that there are tv media online that helps in spreading news worldwide. A social community open for everyone online, and I must say, you have done a great job. Feel free to visit my website; 온라인카지노사이트넷

    ReplyDelete
  46. I am really enjoying reading your well written articles. It looks like you spend a lot of effort and time on your blog. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work. Feel free to visit my website; 카지노사이트위키

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...