Originally posted June 22, 2008
Some of you might understand this; others might think it funny. (Many years ago), while I was in my exercise class, during one of the hardest parts, all I could think about was this crisp I was going to make later that day. I thought about the berries, so ripe and juicy. I thought about how I was going to take the perfect recipe I had used in the past and adapt it to gluten-free. I thought about whether I should serve it with whipped cream or ice cream. All of this while I had about 40 pounds on my back, doing squats to some great music. All I have to say is that I earned every bite of that crisp.
Olallieberries are only in season a short time where we live (mid-June through mid-July) so I actually had to schedule our picking. We are trying to make it a family tradition to do every year. Well, it happened that some friends of ours asked us to dinner on the same evening. What better way to enjoy these delicious morsels than to share them with friends?! I decided to make a crisp. But, with my daughter’s gluten-sensitivity, I had to adjust the recipe a bit.
Now, here’s a secret. When I want to cook something new, I usually look at 2-3 recipes, review the ingredients and the technique. I then take the best of the best, so to say, and design my own. That’s how I created the original crisp recipe. For the gluten-free version, I checked my favorite blogs but felt like the best was the original. I did, however, get a great tip about how to incorporate the butter and flour. It’s in the recipe below.
I had my recipe now all I needed was my berries! We are lucky to live so close to a fantastic “u-pick” berry farm (since this post, I now go to R&R Farms in Pescadero). The first time I went was in 2006 when my son was 2 and daughter 7 months. That day was particularly memorable because the three of us had such a good time together. I was picking berries while my son “helped”. At some point, I said to him “You know, you can eat them.” And basically after that, the picking stopped and he ate his way through the rows! So yes, bring the kids and maybe even a picnic lunch.
(For the record, olallieberries are no longer $2.50 a pound!)
When they were older, it was even more fun. And now, I’m getting really good at it. The trick is to find a row with a good amount of dark berries, usually ones furthest from the cashier. Look for dark purple, almost black berries, that are plump. Pull gently. If it does not come right off of the stem, leave it to ripen a bit longer. When you get home, either place in a shallow container in the fridge, or in freezer bags, keeping them as flat as possible so as not to crush the other berries. Use in pies, crisps, jam, shakes and muffins.
Now some of you, especially those from the east coast, might be saying, what is an Olallieberry?? Personally, I had never heard of them prior to about 20 years ago. According to some research I did, the olallieberry is a cross between a blackberry, loganberry and youngberry, originated in 1949 in Oregon, but mostly thriving in California — especially on the coast.
Ok, now let’s get cooking, or really baking. I thought it would also be helpful to break this recipe down a bit (for the regular version, just use regular oats and flour).
The Filling
Crisps are very versatile. You can use a mix of fruits, more or less berries and vary the sugar. Really; don’t be scared to do it! Most recipes call for about 4 cups of fruit to fit into an 8″x8″ pan. For that amount, I use about 1/2 cup of sugar. If the berries are sweet or if you like your crisp a bit tart, you can use 1/3 of a cup or even less. You need something to thicken the berries. Most recipes call for flour but I used corn starch (but less of it). You could also use tapioca flour.
The Crisp Topping
This is a combination of oats, flour, butter and sugar. Same rules apply. Use less sugar if you’d like. You can even substitute melted coconut oil for some the butter. This recipe can be used with fresh blueberries, peaches, or slightly cooked apples, etc.
I really hope you’ll try this recipes! I would suggest serving with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. Enjoy summer and the berries that define it.
Olallieberry Crisp
Makes 4-6 Servings
- Crisp Topping:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (you can use white sugar as a substitute)
- 2/3 cup gluten-free flour, with or without gum
- 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/4 teaspoon fine kosher or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Filling:
- 4-5 cups olallieberries (if you rinse them, dry them gently with a paper towel)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Butter or spray a 2 to 2-1/2 quart baking dish. Set aside.
- Place sugar, flour, oats, salt, and cinnamon in a medium or large bowl. Mix until incorporated. Add melted butter and mix until the topping resembles cookie dough. Set aside.
- Place the berries, sugar and cornstarch in the baking dish and toss gently so as not to break the berries. Top with the crisp topping.
- Place the baking dish in the oven and bake until the top is browned and the berries are tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.
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