Any-Fruit Crisp

Turn summer’s bounty into the easiest dessert you’ll make all summer long

This week we had friends stay with us for the first time in months. They kept asking if we were up for it, and we kept assuring them that we were. It turns out it was exactly what we needed. People we could be completely comfortable around who could handle our ups and downs and were there to help us with tasks that actually felt like a weight off.

Usually having people over means I try to pull out all the stops. Sometimes that might mean eggplant Parm, watercress soup, a big fennel salad, and tiramisu. Other times it might be pimento cheese, BBQ ribs, cornbread, slaw, and a massive cheesecake. And of course, there’s the time last summer I cooked for 45 by myself for the launch of Nights and Weekends, one of my more ambitious undertakings.

But I’m aware that my capacity is limited right now–mentally, and because I’m about to be 36 weeks pregnant. Apologies to those in my inner circle who have been listening to me complain for weeks about how uncomfortable I am, but this stage of pregnancy has been humbling. I kept cooking on the simple side most of the week. There was a big batch of granola for breakfast, for lunch it was a fend for yourself situation (with plenty of leftovers and a stocked fridge), and dinners were protein + carb + cooked vegetables. Easy.

For our last night together, I wanted to do a little more. I wanted to be conscious of a few food allergies the group had–no gluten, dairy, spice, or tomatoes. For snacks there was Gochujang Almond Butter Dip from Nights and Weekends along with cut vegetables from the farmers market. I marinated our own boneless chicken thighs to cook on the grill. I made a big pot of rice that I turned into a crispy rice salad spiked with nuoc cham and tender herbs. There was a salad from the garden too.

Which brings me to dessert. While I’ve been eating ice cream literally every night of this pregnancy, that wasn’t an option with the aforementioned dietary restrictions. The market is teeming with fruit and I took advantage with my any-fruit crisp recipe. I’m serious when I say any fruit–peaches, strawberries, rhubarb, cherries, apples, pears–whatever you can get your hands on. To make it gluten-free, I swapped out all-purpose for almond flour and used gluten-free oats. I also added sliced almonds to the crumble topping. It’s one of those recipes that’s begging for experimentation, but gives you enough of a structure to make this a back-pocket dessert.

Last week I shared about the chaos that we’ve been going through and how my new Helix Twilight Luxe mattress has been a saving grace in getting a few extra hours of sleep. We took the Helix mattress quiz in five minutes and unpacked the mattress in about 10 minutes, making this officially the most seamless process ever. If that’s not convenient, I don’t know what is. This is my first-ever premium mattress and I’m thrilled to report it really does make a difference. If you’re looking to upgrade your sleep quality, visit helixsleep.com/sidedish for a special 20% discount.

Any-Fruit Crisp

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

Filling

• ½ tablespoon unsalted butter

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour or almond flour to make it gluten-free

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• 8 cups fresh or frozen fruit, thawed if frozen, cut into bite-size pieces

Topping

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour or almond flour to make it gluten-free

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

• ½ cup light brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with ½ tablespoon of butter. If you’re using a 7x11-inch baking dish, place it on top of a rimmed baking sheet to catch any rogue drippings.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, flour, and salt. Add your fruit of choice and stir to combine. Transfer the filling to the prepared baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt.

Add the butter and stir to combine until the oats and flour are completely covered in butter.

Sprinkle the topping in an even layer over the filling.

Bake until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Crisps can be made up to 2 days ahead and reheated as necessary.