It's The Berries! Black Raspberry Crisp

Thanks to the unusually warm winter we had, my raspberry crop was a solid 2 weeks early. I grow two varieties: Fall Gold, which offers a small crop each summer followed by giant crop in September, and Bristol. Bristol is by far the better berry for cooking. This dark purple berry is sweet with a hint of tartness, holds its shape very well and each bush provides at least two quarts of berries. Luckily, these berries also freeze well, so I used part of the crop right away and bagged the rest.

Raspberry crisp a luscious fruit dessert that is incredibly simple to make. In addition, because the fruit provides most of the sweetness, it uses very little sugar. In fact, this recipe lends itself well to sugar substitutes such as Truvia.

I recommend using real butter to make the crisp topping. Butter adds a toasty flavor to the crust, which contains oatmeal. It also helps the crisp to bake to a beautiful golden brown. You'll want to use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter with the dry ingredients. Cutting in the shortening coats the flour and oats without activating the gluten. The end result is a crunchy crisp streusel topping.

Raspberry Crisp
2 quarts fresh raspberries
1/4 c. granulated sugar or sugar substitute for baking
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Mix together 1/4 c. sugar and corn starch. Gently coat berries with the sugar and starch mixture.  Spray a 2 quart casserole pan with nonstick cooking spray and fill with berry mixture. Drizzle with lemon juice. Allow to rest at room temperature while preparing the topping.

Topping
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar or sugar substitute for baking
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature

Whisk together the flour, oats, sugars and spices. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously cover the berry mixture with the topping. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned.  Allow to cool before serving; this allows the berry juices to thicken slightly. Serves 6 to 8.