Berry Crisp

One of my favorite food authors lately is Mark Bittmann. He's a regular contributor in the New York Times Wednesday food section and is referred to as "The Minimalist". He's the kind of cook I can relate to. Takes risks by venturing into new cuisines but seeks out the basic principles and shoots for the simple recipes that capture the cuisine in a few ingredients.

Today's post isn't about any exotic cuisine, but it is simple. The Crisp. A cornerstone of traditional American Desserts. Recipes are all over the place but Bittman's looked really good. I tried it, lost the recipe and then modified what I remember of it. I used less butter than in the original recipe and I shouldn't have. The original "crust" was excellent, this one was ok but could have been better. I also used a tablespoon of corn starch over the fruit to make it less runny. That part I liked. Held together nicely. I'll have to go back to Barnes and Noble to find the original recipe and jot it down; sorry Mark, raising a kid's expensive and cookbooks are a low priority.

Also note the use of self-rise flour, of which I've become a fan or. Makes the recipe go a lot faster.

Blackberry Crisp, big one, enough for 12 people or so
1. oil a 9x13 glass dish, preheat oven to 350F.
2. toss 2 bags (16 oz) of frozen blackberries, 1/2 C sugar, 1-2 T cornstarch and dump in prepared dish
3. cut 2 sticks butter in 3 cups self-rising flour (original recipe used 1 stick butter/cup of flour)
4. mix flour mixture with 5 beaten eggs
5. plop flour/egg mixture on top of berries
6. bake @ 350F for an hour
7. yum