Stone Fruit Crisp

From Cook's Illustrated Master Recipe for Fruit Crisp

(NOTES:

• Peel fruit or sweeten more.
• Get Quaker normal style quick oats for more body to baked topping

)

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs fruit, cut up (about 7 cups) (used 3 pounds pitted - not peeled misc organic stone fruits)
• 1 T lemon juice
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking steel cut (McCann's) oats
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp table salt (missed, so sprinkled on crust)
• 4 T butter, cut into small bits (chilled, if using food processor)
• 2 T vegetable shortening, cut into small bits (chilled, if using food processor)

Suggested Fruit  

• 2 1/2 pounds apples (about 6 apples), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 3 pounds apricots (15 to 20), pitted and quartered
• 2 pounds berries, rinsed and patted dry; if tart, add 1 tablespoon or more of sugar to taste
• 2 1/2 - 3 pounds nectarines or peaches (8 to 10 pieces of fruit), peeled, pitted, and cut into sixths
• 2 1/2 - 3 pounds pears (6 to 7 pears), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 3 pounds plums (15 to 20), pitted and quartered

Method

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss fruit with lemon zest and juice in a large bowl. Spread evenly in 8-inch square baking pan, pressing down lightly.
2. Mix next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl or in workbowl of a food processor, then add butter and shortening. If mixing by hand, use fingertips, a pastry blender, or 2 forks to blend fat into dry ingredients until mixture looks like coarse irregular crumbs, with no visible lumps of fat. If mixing in a food processor, pulse about 10 times, then process 5 to 10 seconds, until there are no visible lumps of fat.
3. Spread topping over prepared fruit; bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; back until topping browns and fruit is tender when pierced, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.