Berries!!!

June and July mean Berries here in the PacNW. And by berries I mean: close-your-eyes-and-imagine-what-a-berry-should-taste-like-and-they-do berries.

On Saturday afternoon I realized we had berries that would get furry before we could eat them all. So I made Crisp. This recipe is adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Topping:

In the bowl of a food processor:

12 T Flour - I haven't worked out the cup equivalent.

1/2 c each: dark brown sugar and granulated sugar

1/2 t salt

1/2 t each: ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg

Whizz together and then add:

10 t cold butter - diced

Give 6-10 pulses til mixture looks like sand then add:

1 cup toasted chopped Pecans and Hazelnuts (Filberts rule the NW!)

Pulse a few more times til incorporated. Do not over-process. Put in the Fridge to chill while you're doing the berries.

Berries:

2 pints each:

Strawberries, Blueberries and Raspberries

3/4 c sugar

Zest of one lemon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T finely chopped candied ginger

2 T Triple Sec

4 t quick tapioca

I had a ripe pear sitting on the counter staring at me; that

got peeled and chunked up and thrown in. So then I added a bit of Belle de Brillet - an outrageous pear liqueur from France - for good measure.

Fold together gently and let sit for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Assembly:

Spray one large (or 2 medium) casserole dish with pan spray. Give berries another good fold and pour into baking dish(es). Do not come too far up the dish or you will end up with smoky berry burntness on the bottom of your oven. Sprinkle chilled crisp topping over the top - do not smooth - in fact, with a spoon or spatula, nestle a little bit of the topping into the berries.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool! DO NOT EAT IMMEDIATELY!

Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream.

It's great for breakfast.