It’s blueberry season and I can think of no better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than to make a good old-fashioned gluten-free blueberry crisp.
Crisps are every bit as wonderful as pies but when it comes to getting one on the table, they win hands down. No mixing dough, letting it sit in the fridge, and rolling out the crust. They are pure simplicity and a great way to let the flavor of the filling really shine.
A crisp is basically fruit covered with a crunchy topping and baked—easy peasy. So if you are looking for a showcase for those fabulous, sweet and juicy blueberries—give this recipe a try. You won’t be sorry. Oh, and by the way—a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a warm crisp is pure heaven.
For the fruit portion of the crisp, I used fresh blueberries as they are in season, but frozen will do just fine in the off-season. Blueberries love a little bit of lemon so I added both the zest and the juice along with some organic sugar and cornstarch to thicken the juices. If you don’t use cornstarch, tapioca starch works just as well. For the topping, I used my own flour blend along with some brown sugar and certified organic oats.
You can feel free to substitute sorghum or millet for gluten-free flour if you like.
Have a great Fourth of July.
Blueberry Crisp
Serves 6
Ingredients
Butter or gluten free nonstick cooking spray for preparing the pan
4 c (four 6-ounce containers) fresh blueberries, rinsed, picked over and drained
⅓ cup sugar
Zest of one lemon, finely grated
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
⅓ c brown sugar, packed
⅓ c gluten-free flour blend (or use gluten free sorghum or millet flour)
¾ c certified gluten free oats
Pinch kosher salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 10-inch baking dish or deep dish pie pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and cornstarch. Toss to coat and pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
In another mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats and salt. Add the butter and work it into the oat mixture with your fingertips until crumbly. Spread over the blueberries and bake for 40 minutes or until the blueberries are bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
