Lavender Mixed Berry Crisp is very easy to put together, but it has layers of sophisticated flavor thanks to a light hand with the sugar and the addition of floral lavender and savory herbes de Provence.
Note that I use volume measurements for the streusel. It's fine in this case since a bit more or less of any ingredient will not cause any issues when it bakes.
6cupsmixed fresh berries of your choice. I used blueberries, red and golden raspberries, blackberries and quartered strawberries
⅓cupfruity, low-acid vinaigrette such as Tracy's Gourmet Luscious Lavender
2-4Tablespoonssugar, depending on how sweet your fruit is and how sweet you like things
fairly heavy pinch of kosher salt
½teaspoonherbes de Provence
½teaspoonvanilla extract
1Tablespooneach cornstarch and finely ground cornmeal(or 2 Tablespoons cornstarch)
For the Streusel
1stick(4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1/2-2/3cupgranulated sugar(to your taste)
¼cuprolled oats
¾cupcake flour or all purpose flour
heavy pinch of salt
¼teaspoonvanilla extract
For Finishing (Optional)
coarse salt of your choice
Instructions
Place the berries, vinaigrette, sugar, salt, herbs, and extract in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for 2 hours, shaking the container occasionally.
When ready to bake, place the berries and the collected juices in a square baking pan. Toss with the cornstarch and cornmeal (if using). Set aside and preheat the oven to 375F.
For the Streusel
Mix together all the streusel ingredients until you have a thick dough. I just used my hand, but you can use your stand mixer if you'd rather.
Break the streusel apart into delicious pieces and scatter all over the fruit. This is a pretty thick layer of streusel because that's how I like it.
Sprinkle with just a bit of flaky salt--I used fleur de sel. (optional)
Bake in the center of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the streusel is nicely browned and the fruit is bubbing even in the center of the pan.
Allow to cool and serve warm with a bit of unsweetened whipped cream or plain yogurt.
Notes
Note that prep time doesn't take into account the maceration time. Active prep is only about 10 minutes though, honest.