Strawberry Blueberry Crisp

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Happy 4th of July!  My daddy's birthday is on the 4th so for me it's not only a day off and a chance to celebrate all that is wonderful about this country, but a day full of memories of pool parties, cooking out, and his jokes.  My father was a true firecracker and the day is just not the same since he passed away a few years ago.

While I made this strawberry blueberry crisp a couple of weeks ago, it is perfect for celebrating the red white and blue.  The recipe is from one of the newest books to my permanent collection - The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook and was written as a strawberry rhubarb crisp.  For some reason I can't bring myself to try rhubarb.   I love the color but just can't get past it's celery like appearance.  Maybe someday.  But for today, I went with two fruits I had on hand and fit in perfectly with what is turning out to be a somewhat patriotic post:  strawberries and blueberries.

Fruit crisps are one of my favorite desserts to make.  Mainly because I feel like I can count it as a serving of fruit, or two depending on how many bowls I eat, and they are so easy to throw together.  Most crisp recipes include varying amounts of butter, flour, sugar, oatmeal and maybe some nuts in the crisp topping, but this recipe called for two ingredients I've never seen in a crisp.  Cornmeal and canola oil.  These common ingredients used in a uncommon way convinced me to give this recipe a spin.

I also was intrigued by the use of turbinado sugar in the filling.  Sprinkling coarse, caramel colored turbinado on the tops of all sorts of baked goods is one of my favorite baking tricks but I've never used such a large quantity in a recipe.  Not that the quantity was excessive and I'm sure it was added to offset the tartness of the rhubarb.  The rhubarb that I didn't use.  So my filling was extra sweet.  But this is the south and that's how we roll.  If you are from any other part of the country you may want to cut the sugar down by a fourth or even a half a cup.  

If you are still with me, I'm sure you are wondering how was it?  It was fabulous.  Sweet, juicy, buttery, crispy.  Everything a crisp should be.  The sweet fruit swims lazily in a pool of its warm juices while the buttery crisp topping adds the perfect amount of texture and crunch.  I believe it's a crime to eat fruit crisp without ice cream.  Maybe not a felony but at least a misdemeanor.  A scoop of vanilla here keeps you legal and always cuts down on the sweetness. 

Enjoy your 4th!

Strawberry Blueberry Crisp
Cheryl and Griff Day, The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

For the topping:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon canola oil

For the filling:

2 cups strawberries, hulled, and sliced 1 cup blueberries
1 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9-inch deep dish pie plate and set on a baking sheet.

To make the topping:  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, oats, cornmeal, cinnamon, salt, butter, and oil with a fork until completely blended.  Set aside.

To make the filling:  In another bowl, combine the strawberries, blueberries, sugar, flour, and cornstarch; stirring to coat the fruit.

Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared pie plate.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit mixture.  Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown and crispy.  Let cool slightly.  

Serve the crisp warm.  It is best served the same day but can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.