Strawberry Cherry Black Pepper Crisp

Hi friendsss..I hope everyone survived the long weekend heat.

There was an absolutely brutal heat wave back in New York, and I am so glad I escaped it. Your girl was camping in Maine and then spent a few days in Acadia National Park, where it was significantly cooler. I got very, very lucky.

My family actually makes this trip every year. It’s become a bit of a tradition. We escape the New York heat, spend our days hiking, playing catan at the house, eat a lotta lobster, blueberry pies and enjoy being in a slow town.

Fun fact: I’m just not a summer person. My curls have a mind of their own the second there’s any humidity, and my combination skin hates it.

One thing I will happily take from summer, though, is the produce.

Maine is known for its blueberries. At a local market, I found what looked like the last of the Rainier cherries sitting next to baskets of strawberries. i was like, huh what can i make with it?

I was staying in a house with the dreamiest kitchen and beautiful natural light, so I took it as my excuse to bake. A strawberry cherry black pepper crisp it was.

There’s one ingredient in this crisp that surprises almost everyone: black pepper.

It doesn’t taste peppery. It just wakes the fruit up. Trust me, the end result WORKS. It’s one of my favorite little tricks whenever I’m baking with fruit.

The best part is that it really doesn’t take much. Just peak ripe fruit, a simple crumble, and about 35 minutes in the oven.

When it comes out, the top gets golden and crisp, and underneath you’ve got all this jammy fruit. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream while it’s still warm, and I promise you’ll understand why this is a SUMMER HIT.

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to make it.

Strawberry Cherry Black Pepper Crisp

Fruit base

• 1 lb strawberries, quartered

• ½ lb Rainier/any cherries, pitted

• ¼ cup light brown sugar

• Pinch of salt

• Generous crack of freshly ground black pepper

Mix everything together and let it sit while you make the crumble. This will macerate the fruit and starts turning it into syrupy base.

Crumble

• 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed

• ¼ cup light brown sugar

• 1 cup old fashioned oats

• ½ cup all purpose flour

• Pinch of salt

• Splash of vanilla extract

Using your hands, rub everything together until the butter is evenly incorporated and you have a crumbly mixture. Play with it and have fun.

Pro tip: if you want the crumble to have even more depth, make brown butter, let it cool and use it as your butter in the recipe. will be 2x more delicious.

Bake

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Transfer the macerated fruit to a baking dish or cast iron skillet. Scatter the crumble evenly over the top and bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling around the edges.

Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving warm with vanilla ice cream.

I’d love to know if you make it. And if you’re still skeptical about the black pepper, this is your sign to give it a try :)

Love,

Nirupa