Crisp is very similar to crumble, but it has oats and sometimes nuts in addition to the sugar, flour and butter in the topping. The resulting crunch feels heartier than a crumble topping, and thus qualifies it as breakfast in my neck of the woods. Because this loose topping does not require any binders, like flour, to hold it together, choose crisp when making gluten free or lower sugar options. Choose a gluten free flour or leave it out entirely. You can make this dairy free as well by swapping the butter out for solidified (cold) coconut oil or a plant-based butter substitute.

Yield: 8-10 servings

What You Need:

4-5 cups prepared fruit filling (see below)
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup flour (all purpose, cup-for-cup gluten free blend, almond meal, cornmeal, or combination)
¼ - ½ cup raw nuts (almonds, walnuts or pine nuts), finely chopped, optional
¼ teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons brown sugar or maple crystals
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces (you can substitute 8-10 tablespoons melted coconut oil to make this vegan)

What You Do:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Transfer the prepared fruit filling to one large (13x9 inch or 8x8 inch) baking dish, pie plate or 8 individual (3-inch) ramekins.
In a mixing bowl (I use the same bowl the fruit was in), stir together the oats, flour, nuts, salt and brown sugar. With your fingers, press the 4 tablespoons of butter and maple syrup into the mixture until you have coarse crumbs.
Optional: For a less sandy texture, melt the butter with the maple syrup before stirring into the dry ingredients.
Dot the fruit with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. With your fingers, scatter the crisp topping evenly across the fruit filling.
Put the baking dish on a sheet pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (30-35 minutes for smaller portions) or until fruit is bubbly and top is browned. Cover lightly with foil if topping is browning too quickly. Allow to cool completely on a baking rack.

The Fruit Filling

What You Need:

5 cups fruit, (2.5 pounds peaches, plums, apricots, apples, etc. and 2 pints blueberries, raspberries, cherries, etc.) peeled if desired, pitted, sliced 1/4 inch thick or diced into 1/2 inch chunks
⅓ cup sugar (white, brown, cane, turbinado, raw, maple crystals, or coconut)
3 pinches fine sea salt
1-2 teaspoons ground spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, etc.) or the insides of a vanilla bean, optional
Zest and juice from one lemon*, optional but highly recommended
2 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch or cornstarch, optional with apples

*note: with cranberries, pears and apples, try orange in place of lemon, and only use half of a medium orange

What You Do:

In a large bowl, stir together the prepared fruit, sugar, salt, spices, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours. You can refrigerate if you choose but this is not necessary.
Immediately before baking, stir in the tapioca flour/starch or cornstarch.

The subtle punch of clove is a welcomed surprise in this colorful hummus with warming spices. My family's pickles beets, which include whole cloves in the pickling liquid, inspired the flavors of this hummus that is perfect for winter's chill.

Makes: 1½ cups

Ingredients:

1 medium beet
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1-2 garlic cloves
1 ½ - 2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 tablespoons tahini
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced, divided
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and scrub beet. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap in foil and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Cool.

2. In a small sauté pan, on medium high heat, toast the cumin, cinnamon, and cloves just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. When beet is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Put beet and garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor. Purée until finely chopped.

4. Add the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, half of the lemon juice, toasted spices, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper or salt if needed.

5. Serve with pita chips or vegetable slices or spread on a sandwich or wrap.

Variations:

Substitute a sweet potato for the beet and roast without foil. Use cumin, cayenne, dried ground chipotle and/or smoked paprika for the spices. Use chickpeas or substitute black beans.
Instead of beet, use ½ cup of any cooked vegetable (skins removed, roasted, grilled, or steamed), such as broccoli, red bell peppers, carrots, or squash.
Substitute ½ cup of prepared pesto for the roasted vegetable, decrease the olive oil to 2 tablespoons, and omit the spices.
Use lime juice, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar in place of the lemon juice.
In place of the beet, add an entire head of garlic roasted in olive oil. Decrease the olive oil to 2 tablespoons. Use chickpeas or substitute navy or cannellini beans.