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| Apple-Elderberry Crisp Bites |
It’s
finally getting cold enough in Southern California for warm baked
desserts. Fruit crisps, crumbles and
cobblers are easy ways to end a winter’s meal.
They can be made with fresh, frozen or canned fruits or with those dried
last summer and fall. Our recipes call
for dried apples and elderberries because that’s what we dried last summer. But you can use any dried fruits you have on
hand.
Most
traditional crisps and crumbles have fruit on the bottom and a crisp, crumbly topping
(recipe 1, below); a few recipes use part of the topping as a bottom layer. Traditional
cobblers have fruit on the bottom and a shortcake-like topping. All combine the flavors of baked fruits (like
a pie) but are simpler to prepare.
Crisps,
crumbles and cobblers are simple to serve at home – still warm and fragrant
from the oven. They are less easy to
manage for a potluck supper or other event away from home. We know this from experience!
We
feature California Gourmet foods at events held several times a year in the
garden. Out of necessity, we developed a
variation of the traditional crisp/cobbler recipe (recipe 2) which is more
portable. We call them Dried Fruit Crisp Bites. The bites are made in muffin tins (regular
or mini-muffin size) and can be eaten warm or cold. They combine the crisp topping of a crisp,
with a shortcake crust that’s more like a cobbler. If you only need a few Crisp Bites, you can
easily halve the recipe.
Recipe 1 – Dried
Apple-Elderberry Crisp/Crumble
Filling
1 cup
dried apples, cut into small pieces after measuring
4 Tbsp
dried elderberries (or other dried native berries/fruits: currants,
gooseberries,
dried
strawberries, etc.)
2 Tbsp
orange juice
Water
(just to cover the fruits)
4 Tbsp
granulated sugar
2 Tbsp
flour
Place
apple pieces, elderberries and orange juice in a medium bowl (a flat-bottom
bowl is best). Add water to just cover
the fruits (you’ll need to pour off excess if you use too much). Cover and let sit for at least one hour to
let the fruits re-hydrate. Press fruits
down into the liquid half-way through to be sure each piece becomes hydrated. After an hour most of the water should be
taken up; if not, pour off the excess or filling will be too runny. Add
sugar and flour to fruits and stir to mix.
Let mixture sit while preparing topping.
Our filling is a bit on the tart side; taste and add more sugar if
desired.
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| Filling for Apple-Elderberry Crisp |
Topping
1
cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick
cooking)
½
cup flour
½
cup granulated sugar
½
cup brown sugar
½
cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
In
a medium bowl mix together all but the butter/margarine. Cut in the butter/margarine with a fork or
pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. The topping mixture should be well blended
(homogeneous) and crumbly.
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| Topping - well-blended and ready to use |
Place
prepared filling into the bottom of an ungreased 8”x8” or 9”x9” non-reactive
(glass/ceramic) baking dish or 9” pie plate. You can also use single-serving ramekins. Crumble topping evenly over the filling. Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet on the
middle rack of the oven. Bake at 350°F until topping is golden brown
and filling is bubbly, about 40-60 minutes.
Serve warm or cold. Some like to
top with ice cream or whipped cream.
Makes
6-9 servings
Recipe
2 – Dried Fruit Crisp Bites
Filling (as above)
Topping (as above)
Shortcake crust
baking mix (enough for one recipe of shortcake)
Follow
the shortcake recipe for your all
purpose baking mix. Ours uses 2 ½ cups
baking mix with 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar, an egg and a little melted butter - but
follow the instructions for your own
brand.
Prepare
the muffin tins (regular or mini-size).
Non-stick muffin tins need no preparation; others should be lightly
greased or sprayed with pan spray (if using cupcake liners, spray them with pan
spray). Roll out the crust on a floured cutting board
or pastry cloth to about 1/8 inch thickness (pretty thin). Using a circular cookie cutter that is just a little larger than the bottom of the
muffin cups, cut out shortcake rounds.
You can also use a drinking
class, jar lid or other round that’s the correct size. Place the shortcake rounds in the bottom of
the muffin tins; gently press the dough into the bottom of each cup.
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| Shortbread crust in place - ready for filling |
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| Crisp Bites ready for the oven |
Spoon
filling over each shortcake round, dividing it evenly between the cups. Crumble the topping evenly over the filling
in each cup. Bake at 350°F until topping is golden brown
and filling is bubbly, about 30-40 minutes for regular size, 20-30 minutes for
mini-muffin size. Remove from
oven. Serve warm or cold (can be re-heated in microwave).
Makes 18-24 regular or 48 mini bites.
____________________________________________________
We encourage you to
send us your questions, comments and recipes (either comment below or e-mail to
us at : mothernaturesbackyard10@gmail.com
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