Peach and Blueberry Crisp with Almond and Lemon Topping
At a Glance
Equipment
The only special items you'll need for this dessert is a Pyrex 9" by 13" glass, baking dish.
Ingredients
For the fruit base:
8 cups of Peaches, peeled and sliced
4 cups of Blueberries, washed
½ cup of Dried Cranberries
Juice of ½ Lemon – we use a Meyer’s Lemon
½ cup sugar
Pinch of ground cloves
1 tsp. of Almond Extract
1 tsp. of Cinnamon
1 tsp. of freshly grated Nutmeg (I prefer freshly grated, but pre-ground nutmeg will work as well)
2 tbsp. of Amaretto
1.5 tbsp. of Cornstarch
For the topping:
6 oz. of Almonds, blanched and slivered
Pam Spray with Butter
1 cup of Flour
½ tsp of Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
5 oz. of Almond Paste (at room temperature)
10 tbsp. of Butter at room temperature
1 cup of Sugar
1 Egg
½ tsp. of Almond Extract
Zest of 1 Lemon (not the pith, which will make it bitter)
1.5 tbsp. of Cornstarch
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the peaches and juice the Meyer’s Lemon Juice over the peaches, and place in a bowl. Add the blueberries and cranberries to the peaches, and mix it all together. Add the sugar, ground cloves, almond extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon to the bowl, and mix it all together until thoroughly integrated. Place in a 9” x 13” Pyrex glass baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
In a metal pie pan, add the almonds and spray with Pam with Butter. Place them in the preheated oven at 400 degrees F. After 4 minutes, remove the almonds from the oven and mix them up, and then place them back in the oven. After an additional 6 minutes, remove the almonds and let them cool.
Place the foil-covered fruit mixture into the preheated oven for30 to 45 minutes, or until the juice is bubbling.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a new bowl, place the butter at room temperature as well as the sugar, and beat with a hand-mixer until light and fluffy (about one minute). Add the egg, almond extract (for the topping) to the light and fluffy mixture, and mix together with the hand-mixer quickly. Add the lemon zest into the bowl, and mix together until thoroughly integrated.
Place the cooled almonds into a food processor, and grind it down to small pieces (almost almond powder, but not almond butter). Break half of the almond paste into ½ tsp. pieces, and place into the ground almond and pulse in; do the same with the second half of the almond paste.
Take the ground almond mixture and whisk into the dry mixture of flour, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined. Then, slowly stir the ground almond mixture into the bowl with the butter, sugar, etc. to create the final topping mixture.
Take the fruit mixture out of the oven with the juices hot in it. Place the cornstarch in 1/8 cup of water and mix together. Mix the combined cornstarch and water into the fruit mixture, add the Amaretto, and then drop spoonfuls of the topping mixture on the top of the fruit mixture. Place it in the preheated oven at 400 degrees F for about 45 minutes, or until the top is browned. Serve with ice cream.
