Blueberry Peach Crisp

Is it weird that despite the unbelievable ripe, sweet juiciness of these peaches my favorite thing about this crisp was in many ways the color? I just keep staring at it and thinking that deep purple and hot pinky-peach combo could not exist in nature. And yet it does, albeit from 2 different fruits.

I've never liked peaches much. Growing up in the north, my memories are mostly permeated by terrible canned peaches. I've had freshly picked, organic ones.... but only as an adult and only in the north. I am now convinced that I have either just gotten unlucky a few times or maybe there really is something to this whole Georgia thing.


Don't get me wrong, I am sure that for peach lovers it is better to have a locally grown freshly picked Pennsylvania peach (which my husband loved when we lived there) than to have one that has sat on a truck for a few days from Georgia. But for this non-peach lover, a freshly picked, locally grown Georgia peach was a revelation. So of course I brought home a big bag.

Most of them were eaten raw, but I just had to take the opportunity to make a peach dessert. I found this peach pie when I was searching the internet, and I was immediately attracted to the streusel topping. I LOVE streusel. But pie crust I could do without, and as a Texan twitter friend said when I asked about baking it sans crust: "Around here we call that a crisp, y'all."

So a crisp it was. And because I can't just fiddle a little, I added blueberries. Dark purple blue and hot peachy pink is a color combo that is meant to be. And it turns out the eye does not lie, because this crisp was freakin' fantastic.


Blueberry Peach Crisp
Adapted from Epicurious

Crisp Topping
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup AP flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
generous pinch of salt
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 lb blueberries, frozen or fresh (I used last summer's frozen right after picking)
3 lbs peaches, blanched for about 1 minute, dropped in ice water, and then peeled, pitted and sliced into 1/2 inch slices


Begin by making the crisp topping as it needs to chill. I like to taste a pinch--the oats will not have the right texture, but you can get an idea of whether it is sweet enough for you (or whether it needs more salt). Combine all of the crisp topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until small clumps form. Chill up to 1 day.

When you are ready to bake the crisp, preheat the oven to 375 F. Prepare the peaches as described above. Combine the sugar and cream in a large nonstick skillet. Add the peach slices and cook over medium-high heat until peaches are tender and sugar-cream mixture is reduced almost to glaze, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Because you are still adding the blueberries, the mixture may still be saucy. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Dump the peaches into a 9X12 casserole pan. Mix the blueberries in gently but quickly, trying to avoid breaking the blueberries. Sprinkle the topping over the filling, making sure it covers the whole casserole evenly. Bake until filling bubbles and the topping is golden brown, placing baking sheet under pie to catch any drippings, about 50 minutes. Cool the crisp to room temperature before serving with vanilla ice cream.