Spoonriver Fruit Crisp

From the Spoonriver Cookbook. Spoonriver is a Minneapolis restaurant that specializes in fresh healthy delicious food. The cookbook authors Brenda Langton and Margaret Stuart suggest fruit variations: apple and cranberry, apple and pear, apple and rhubarb, peach, cherry - either sweet or tart, apricot and dried cherry, peaches or apricots and fresh raspberries. In winter when fresh fruit isn't available, try plumped dried apricots.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup  chopped  nuts
• 3⁄4 cup rolled oats
• 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour or 3⁄4 cup  a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flour
• 1⁄3 cup  packed brown sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
• 1⁄2 cup butter or 1⁄2 cup  vegetable oil
• 6  cups  fruit (see above for suggested combinations)
•  flour, cornstarch or   other thickener
• 2⁄3 cup  fruit juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine nuts, oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg (if using) in a bowl.
3. Cut butter into small pieces and work it in with a pastry blender or with your finger tips just until the mixture comes together and has a crumbly texture.
4. If you are using oil instead of butter simply stir well to combine.
5. You can make this crisp topping in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Place it on the fruit just before putting it in the oven.
6. Prepare the fruit.
7. Apples and pears can be peeled (or not), cored, and cut into slices or chunks.
8. Stone fruits should be pitted and cut into bite size pieces.
9. Peaches should be peeled.
10. Taste the fruit as you are preparing it, If it is sweet you may not need to add any sugar, If you are using rhubarb or tart cherries you will certainly need to add some sugar. However apples, peaches and apricots may not need any.
11. If you are using juicy fruits you will need to add a little flour or cornstarch to thicken the juices. Apples are generally fine without thickener, while peaches and cherries will require 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour or cornstarch. If you need to use a thickener, stir it into the juice.
12. Spread the prepared fruit into a 9x9 pan (or any baking dish that will hold 6 cups of fruit).
13. Pour the juice over the fruit and place the crisp topping on top.
14. Bake the crisp for 45 to 50 minutes or until the crisp topping is golden brown and and the fruit is bubbling up the sides of the pan.