Berry Crisp

My maternal grandmother made the best apple crisp growing up. Sadly, I do not have the time nor the patience to peel cut and cook the apples before even starting on the crisp. So I dedicated myself to finding a recipe that gave the same satisfaction as a crisp, but was a lot less labor intensive…and thus came to be my favorite crisp that goes delightfully well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My maternal grandparents were Italian and with that basil was always in the garden growing. I’ve learned through my love of sweet basil that it goes wonderfully with just about anything – so yes, you can have a dessert and a savory herb at the same time.

Filling: 1 quart blueberries 1 quart blackberries 1 quart raspberries ½ cup granulated sugar 2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch Pinch of salt 1 lemon zested and juiced (save the zest for topping) Basil for garnish

Topping: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup rolled oats ½ cup sugar ½ cup brown sugar Pinch of salt 2 sticks of cold butter ½ cup chopped nuts (optional) I prefer a mixture of walnuts and pecans Ribbon cut basil for garnish

Instructions: For the filling: preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 8 x 8 baking dish. In a large bowl combine the berries, sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Pour the mixture into the baking dish For the topping: in a large bowl add the flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Combine. Add the 1 ½ of the sticks of butter in large chunks to the mixture. Stir in the chopped nuts. Spread the topping over the berry mixture in the bowl. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, add the remaining butter, and continue to cook until the mixture is browned and bubbling. When ready to serve garnish with the lemon zest and ribbon cut basil. Add whipped cream if desired.

Enjoy!