HOMECOOKINGCHRONICLES
Blueberry
crisp
BY BRIAN MEDFORD
Like Violet Beaureguarde from “Wil-
lie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” I’ve
rarely met a blueberry I haven’t liked. Blue-
berries are in the same plant family as cran-
berries and huckleberries and are native to
North America. In season from late June
through September in the Northwest, they
freeze quite well.
Part of the charm of any blueberry is to
handpick it. Thankfully, blueberry bushes
are thornless, and you don’t have to com-
pete with bears for the harvest (huckleber-
ries, I’m looking at you.) I’ve spent many
pleasant afternoons harvesting berries with
my mother at U-pick farms. When we reach
the checkout stand, I always request they
charge me for additional berry weight based
on my inability to refrain from eating them
right off the bush. I know this is frowned
upon, but I’m incorrigible.
While fresh blueberries are delicious, my
favorite way to eat them is in a rustic fruit
dessert. It won’t surprise anyone that a rus-
tic fruit dessert has grandmotherly charm,
my No. 1 dessert criteria. But it quite fre-
quently has an entertaining name as well. A
crumble, cobbler and crisp are familiar, but
there is also a pandowdy, a slump, a grunt, a
sonker and a fool. To clarify, a fool is a rus-
tic fruit dessert, not the author in this partic-
ular case.
Rustic fruit desserts celebrate the bounty
of the season in a simple and unfussy for-
mat. While they delight me during summer,
I delight in a rustic fruit dessert made later
in the year from berries frozen at their peak.
And if it’s a blueberry, it excites me even
more.
Blueberry crisp
Adapted from Julie Richardson, serves
6 to 8
A crisp is different from a crumble in
that its brown sugar streusel topping con-
tains oatmeal that crisps during baking.
Either way is delicious, particularly spread
over a bed of blueberries and sugar with a
hint of citrus. Serve with vanilla ice cream
if you wish.
Crisp topping
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
Brian Medford
A hearty blueberry crisp, served with a side of vanilla ice cream.
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar, gently packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Fruit filling
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahren-
heit and butter a 2 quart baking dish. Mix
together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and
salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted
butter and press together with your hands
until it forms small clumps. Put the crisp
topping in the freezer while you assemble
the filling.
Mix together the sugar, corn starch and
salt in a large bowl. Add the blueberries
and toss to combine, then gently stir in the
lemon juice. Finally, spoon the fruit mixture
into the prepared baking dish.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the
crisp is golden brown and the filling is bub-
bling up in the corners. Cool for 15 to 20
minutes before serving.
Brian Medford is the owner of Idlewild
Biscuits and Bakes in Astoria and delights
in Southern cooking. He is a staff instruc-
tor at The Pantry in Seattle. Contact him at
blmedford@gmail.com.
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022 // 15