Apricot Crisp

Yesterday I was roaming through the grocery store and these apricots caught my eye. Not because I wanted to bake with them, but because they were totally gorgeous and I wanted to take pictures of them. If I could spend the rest of my days simply taking pictures of fruit, I'd be a happy girl. Of course I realized I was going to have to do something with them once I got them home, but I hadn’t a clue what.



So after I spent a while photographing them I began searching for a way to use them. All the recipes I was finding called for things I didn’t have, Almond flour, apricot jam, etc. Then I finally came upon this recipe from Smitten Kitchen for Apricot Crisp.



I absolutely love crisps and generally think the world would be a better place if everyone had some every morning. For me, the fruit is really more of a vehicle for the topping. That oaty-crumbly goodness.



But what’s so great about this crisp is that the tartness of the apricots is really balanced out by the sweetness of the topping. It’s perfect! And so, so delicious. It’d be great with yogurt or even a little ice cream!



Apricot Crisp
From Smitten Kitchen

Fruit Base
1 pound apricots
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
Grated fresh nutmeg, a pinch

Crisp Topping
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons, 2 ounces) butter, melted
6 tablespoons turbinado or regular sugar (turbinado, also sold as Sugar in the Raw, gives an excellent crunch)
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour)
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons sliced almonds (I didn't have and almonds so I just used 2 more tablespoons of oats)

Prepare fruit: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pull apart apricots at their seam, remove pits, and tear them one more time into quarters, placing them in a small baking dish (one that holds two to three cups is ideal). Stir in sugar, flour and pinch of nutmeg.

Make topping: Melt butter and stir in sugar, then oats, then flour, salt and almonds until large clumps form. Sprinkle mixture over the fruit. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes and serve warm. Or do as she mentions and I did, let it cool completely and then stick it in the fridge overnight, the flavors have time to combine and the apricots become a little less tart. Mix it with yogurt or even ice cream would be good!