Apricot Strawberry Grilled Crisp
/Hey there!
I’m back again from another adventure. Although I’m slightly confused as to what day it is, what time zone I’m in, and who is going to do all of my laundry before leaving again this weekend for a wedding, I have something sweet + summery for you today.
Chris and I were on the east coast last week and just got home last night. He had work training in Fairfax, VA for a few days, so we thought it would be fun if I came along. I was able to bring work with me and stay busy while Chris was working so it worked out well.
After 2 days in Fairfax we planned to head to DC for a long weekend to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. I hadn’t been to DC since 6th grade and Chris had somehow never been. We lucked out with very comfortable weather on Saturday and pretty much walked until our legs couldn’t walk any longer. The two meals I ate for breakfast—plus mimosas + coffee—kept me fueled all day long.
It was the first time either one of us had really take a complete break in quite awhile. Even though I was in CA twice recently and OH just a few weeks ago I kept working throughout all of those trips. But this time there were no house projects staring us down, no work deadlines to complete, and emails that could wait to be answered.
The only thing we had to do was explore + eat our way through DC.
And that we did.
But before leaving for our trip I whipped up this lightly sweet, fruity, doughy-topped treat!
Up until this recipe I had never tried a raw apricot before, which kind of blows my mind. I have no idea why this is but I had only ever eaten the dried variety. I decided it was finally time to try them out and they’re obviously my new favorite. If you like nectarines and peaches then you will also like fresh apricots. They’re not quite as juicy but the taste is similar.
I paired them with the most fragrant strawberries I’ve eaten this year and topped it all off with an incredibly simple oat crisp topping, which included a surprise ingredient.
Quinoa! We had a bowl of plain quinoa in our fridge that I knew wasn't going to be eaten before leaving for our trip, so into the mixture it went. The quinoa added a lovely crunchiness to the texture that contrasted well with the ripe fruit and soft oat crumble.
The best part about this dessert? It takes about 10 minutes to throw together and you can bake it on the GRILL! No need to heat up your whole house. This baby is grill-baked!
Apricot Strawberry Grilled Crisp
gluten-free, vegan // yields 4-6 servings
for the crumb topping:
- 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour, divided
- 1/3 cup cooked quinoa, optional*
- 1/4 cup muscovado sugar, or coconut sugar, sucanat, brown sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil, softened not melted
for the fruit filling:
- 8 ripe apricots, pitted + sliced into 6-8 segments
- 1 pint strawberries, stemmed + quartered
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free oat flour
- 2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
Preheat your grill [or oven] to 350* F.
Stir oats, flour, quinoa, sugar, and salt together in a mixing bowl until combined. Cut in the softened coconut oil with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture starts to form a crumbly dough and the oil is evenly distributed.
In another bowl combine the fruit and toss with the vanilla extract. Then add in the flour and sugar and toss to coat.
Portion out the fruit mixture into 4 oven-safe baking dishes about 4-inches in diameter, or in an 8x8/9x9 baking pan. [You could also use about 8 ramekins.] Sprinkle the oat mixture over each portion and lightly pat down.
Place dishes on the grill [avoiding hot spots] and bake for about 20-25 minutes until the oat mixture starts turning golden brown. Carefully remove and let cool for about 5-10 minutes.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla Greek frozen yogurt or vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream if desired.
notes: *The quinoa is a fun addition that turns crunchy once baked in the mixture. However, feel free to leave it out. Simply add in 3 more tablespoons of rolled oats instead. This dessert is only lightly sweetened. Add more sugar if desired.
The gooey texture and vibrant flavors just about killed me.
Enjoy!
Ashley
