Peach-Blueberry Crisp (Cook’s Illustrated)

2024 is another good year for stone fruit: peaches and apricots have been flavourful and juicy, and our two plum trees are overflowing at the moment. I was surprised that I’ve never blogged about this crisp before, because it’s so good that I’ve made several over the past few weeks.

The recipe is from an old Cook’s Illustrated (July/Aug 1998). Most crisp toppings have oatmeal, but this one recommends not-too-finely chopped nuts (I’ve used whole almonds each time). This allows the topping to stay crunchy, even when left sitting on the counter for 24 hours.

I didn’t bother with increasing the heat at the end to get the top a deep brown. You can definitely vary the fruit (I’ve tried with blueberries, cherries, nectarines) and even increase the proportion, just scale up the sugar and tapioca so it’s not too juicy. A key step is peeling the peaches so no one gets a mouthful of skin. Definitely a classic summer dessert that everyone loves.