A Very Berry Crisp

The picture doesn't do this baby justice. It was bursting with berries, sweet and tangy, with an incomparable crispy brown sugar-oat topping. It was so scrumptious, that sadly, it was gone before I realized the picture stinks.

I guess the blame for the stinky picture is half my fault, as the photographer, and half my husband's fault, as the server of the crisp.

But really, who would serve such a carefully constructed dessert with no regard for the top or bottom of the thing? Especially after his wife carefully prepared this special dessert in such a manner that the berries were on the bottom of the dish and the topping was resting nicely on top (duh). But after the server spooned it out, there was topping all over the place, a slightly grumpy photographer/chef and a less-than-ideal photo.

Fortunately, the taste wasn't affected by the presentation. And this has taught me that I need to stop taking pictures with my cellphone at 8 pm with no natural light. And I will. As soon as I can find the camera.

A Very Berry Crisp
Serves 4 - 6

Topping:

Mix together:
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small bits

Filling:

Toss together in a large bowl:
5 cups assorted berries such as blueberries, raspberries and/or blackberries, rinsed, dried and stems removed
1/4 to 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 to 2 Tablespoons flour

Lightly grease a 9-inch glass pie pan or 9x9 glass baking dish (this just helps at cleanup time). Place berry mixture in pan. Spread topping over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes, or until topping is light golden brown and berries are bubbling out around the edges. Serve warm, cold or any which way. Vanilla ice cream on top is good, too.