Why you should go nuts over peaches

With peaches, apricots and cherries coming into the season, and strawberries still making their appearances at some markets, this is the perfect time to bake a fruit crisp.

A crisp is one of my favourite things to eat without being sent on a guilt trip. It is not as laden with sugar and butter as other desserts and has the potential to make it to your list of favrourite desserts. Have it with a little yoghurt, and it could pass off as breakfast too.

It is also utterly simple to make; make it a few times, and you won’t need to follow a recipe. It’s soon a matter of the feel of ingredients in your hand. Unlike most bakes that adhere to exacting standards of measurement, crisps are somewhat of an exception. With the fruit ready and chopped up waiting in the dish, your crisp topping can be something you can play around with.

Thin crust or thick crust? Some nuts, perhaps?  Extra oats for added crunch? And then maybe even some cardamom? Some more butter? (Yes, definitely more butter!)

Pick the right fruit:  crispy apples, juicy pears, velvety peaches, shiny cherries, and the glistening strawberries that shine like edible rubies, are all great fruits to use in a crisp. Even the fruits which aren’t quite as delicious when they’re just coming into season taste great because baking will intensify its sweetness.

Cut it up into the right size: Small pieces, about 3/4th inch cubes are perfect. Any smaller, and they’d diminish into oblivion, whereas the larger pieces would barely cook through and not caramelise.

Flavour it: Some of my favourite flavour pairings to enhance the fruit: peach-vanilla, pear-ginger, apple-cinnamon, cherry-star anise, strawberry-lemon zest.

Sweetness: Depending on the fruit you’re using, you need to alter the sugar. If it’s a sugary sweet peach, you need just a little sugar to get the caramelisation going. The remaining sugar that you need will be added to the crisp topping mixture.

Crisp topping: Flour, oats, sugar and spices combined together with cold butter that is then spooned over the fruit mixture is typically what’s used in a crisp. Use soft brown sugar for a more delicate bite to the crisp.

Additions: Throw in a handful of your favourite chopped nuts: walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pistachios, macadamia nuts. Make sure that the nuts are well coated with the crisp topping mixture to prevent them from browning too fast and turning bitter.

Once in the oven, the topping gets a golden glow and a pleasingly cookie like texture, crisp in some parts, and slightly soft where it meets the jammy fruit underneath, that’s been a result of the fragrant fruits bubbling in a shallow sea of their own juices. A knobby, crunchy, golden crust over sweet, caramelised fruits, that’s best had when warm.

Serve the apple crisp with a dollop of fresh cream whipped to soft peaks, a scoop or two of vanilla ice-cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce or a big spoonful of cold vanilla yoghurt.       

Shaheen Peerbhai is a camera-toting food blogger who is always thinking about what to bake next