OK, I LOVE eating dessert, LOVE eating dessert. If it would be acceptable to give my kids dessert before the meal, I would. . and sometimes I sneak a bite of the dessert first before I eat (only at home) 🙂

In my mind, no meal is complete without it, especially Korean food. Whether it’s real dessert or just fruit, you need that sweetness to end and balance the spicy. And I am not partial to one or a few. . I love them all. In an effort to not give my kids ice cream all the time (and I do limit the ice cream to just 1-2 nights a week), I wanted to try this Berry Crisp recipe. It has fruit and not that much sugar, so hey, how bad can it be? I did top it off with ice cream. . oh well, it’s DESSERT. Live a little. . and it’s WONDERFUL and YUMMY!

I was watching my new favorite show on the Cooking Channel, Kelsey’s Essentials. I love that she makes dishes that are both easy and challenging and she cooks a variety of foods. She made this dessert on her “Restaurant Inspiration” episode along with Lamb Shank Ragu with Cheesy Gnudi (which I will also attempt to make one of these days)!

Berry Crisps!

INGREDIENTS

FILLING:

2 to 2 1/2 cups fresh seasonal berries, such as blueberries and blackberries
6 black plums, chopped (I could not find any plums, apparently they are not in season right now so I used raspberries instead)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

TOPPING:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled cut oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Serving suggestion: ginger gelato (I used good ole Cookies n Cream ice cream)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. For the filling: Combine the berries and plums in a mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt, and toss to coat. If your fruit is super sweet and in season, you may need less sugar. Pile the fruit mixture into four 8-ounce ramekins.

For the topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, oats and salt in a large mixing bowl. Next, cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two forks, making sure that the butter stays chilled so you end up with a crumbly texture. Mix in the chopped pecans and spread evenly over the fruit. (I added my pecans into the flour mixture and added the butter on top.).