Monday, April 5, 2010

A Sweet Easter Treat

Hope everyone had a wonderful Sunday/Easter (if you celebrate). I got up a little early and snuck in a four mile run before starting my cooking/baking:

I decided to make two desserts for our Easter meal at my parents, the mint chocolate chip cookies I made on Saturday and a Tropical Fruit Crisp. I used this Food Network recipe as my base and made a good deal of adjustments.

Ingredients:

Topping:
  • 1/3 cup tightly packed demerara (unrefined granulated sugar) plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup raw, unsalted macadamia nuts, chopped

Fruit

  • 1 ripe pineapple, peeled, eyes removed, and cored
  • 1 large container of blackberries
  • 4 bananas, ripe but not brown
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 1/3-1/2 cup granulated sugar, or more or less depending on the sweetness of fruit
  • 2 tablespoons instant (small pearl or minute) tapioca

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.


Select a wide 2 to 2 1/2-quart baking dish or casserole, large enough to hold 8 cups of fruit and 1 to 2 inches of crumble, spray with Pam, and set aside.


Prepare the topping: in a large bowl combine the sugars and stir with a fork to break up any lumps of demerara. Blend in the flour & oats. With a pastry blender or by rubbing the mixture roughly between your fingers, cut in the butter until the crumble begins to lump together. Add the coconut and the macadamias and work these by hand, kneading the mixture until evenly moist and crumbly, then set aside.


Prepare the fruit: cut the pineapple into roughly 1-inch chunks. Peel and slice the banana, then add to bowl. Add blackberries. Sprinkle the fruit with lime juice and toss gently to coat. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and tapioca, then toss with the fruit. Don't forget to taste! If not sweet enough for your liking, add another few tablespoons of sugar. If the sweetness is more that you care for, add another squeeze of lime.


Spoon the fruit into the baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top. Set the dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the topping is a rich golden brown in spots and the juices from the fruit are visibly bubbling up through the crumble. Remove from the oven and cool at least 20 minutes before serving. (The crumble may be baked up to 2 days ahead and reheated in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes before serving.) Serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of thick yogurt, lightly sweetened with flavorful honey.

Prior to baking:

And after:

This was SO tasty! I also made up some hummus which I served with veggies and pita chips (not shown):


Josh and I drove up to my parents where we enjoyed a wonderful Easter lunch/dinner(my mom made up ham, a spinach salad, potatoes, coleslaw, and my Aunt brought a green bean dish). Me & My parents:



My cousin & Aunt:


I'm rarely have a drink, so I stuck to water, but my parents did serve up some fun beverages including tiny Coronitas and Coronas (perfect for the summer like weather):


I love my parents house! The views outside are just beautiful:


Josh & I on the porch:


My parents massive yellow lab tried to hop in the picture action:


What did you do this weekend? Any BAoK??? Shoot me an email if you do a BAoK!

58 comments:

Jessica @ How Sweet said...

That fruit crisp looks fabulous! Glad you had a great weekend girly. :) Mine was wonderful but went so fast! Have an awesome week. :)

Lauren said...

OMG that fruit crisp looks sensational!!!!!!!

So glad you had a wonderful Easter. You look so beautiful by the way! ;)

take care girl.

Unknown said...

What a woman you are! and such a hottie for a cousin....mmm!...ha!

Great food, family, and fun!

xoxo

Britt said...

Agreed, that tropical fruit crisp looks awesome. I may have to try it.

Looks like a great Ester for. We continued to enjoy the beautiful weather here!

Lauren @ Eater not a runner said...

Looks like a great Easter :-) Yum!

Susan said...

Both that dish and your Easter look fabulous and fun!

That last pic of you and Josh is tres tres adorable!

Have a good Monday girl!

Stephanie @cookinfanatic said...

Wow girl, that fruit crisp looks insanely good. Perfect for a spring get together! You look so beautiful in your pics too, glad you had a great Easter :)

Tiffany said...

what a gorgeous view from the house! and you and your family are beautiful as usual. :) so glad to see you had a good time relaxing this weekend! and wow that IS a huge lab!

itsawrap said...

With recipes like that I wish I had spent Easter sunday with you!! Is your cousin single? ;)

Trying To Heal said...

that fruit crisp sounds amazing! i need to make one of those asap!

looks like you had a wonderful easter; i do celebrate but i had to work all day out in the field! i need to catch up on easter stuff now!

and i can't wait to see who your first BAoK is!!!!????

Jessica said...

That fruit crisp looks so good. My husband frequently requests fruit crisps in the summer. Looks like a sunny great Easter! Also looks like you had a good time with the fam. Have a great week!

Heather @ Get Healthy With Heather said...

Love fruit crisps! Looks like a fun Easter, and yes your parents house has beautiful views. I love the huge windows!

Anonymous said...

Looks like you had a great weekend. You are like an exact 50/50 split of your parents. Too cute!

Jocelyn said...

Sounds like you had a fun time! That fruit crisp looks really good :D:D

Cute pic with man+the pup! :)

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

your parents dog is so cute and big!! haha...i am such a big dog person! those little guys are adorable but not for me!

looks like you had a great time! AMAZING recipe!!! it looks so good! I love taking a recipe and really doing something unique to make it your own!!

I remember in HS when my friends and I would drink beer, those coronitas were the 'drink to have' we thought they were so cool, these days, I don't even drink beer so I will gladly pass it up!!

you are super speedy on that 4 mile run! awesome job!!!

Holly said...

That sounds like the perfect Easter to me! I'm so excited for warmer weather, since it means more fruit and fruit desserts. I miss my berries and canteloupe!

Love the pic of you and Josh! That porch looks like the perfect place for a nap. And your cousin is cute. :-)

Christina said...

that is a HUGE dog!

Anonymous said...

Wow! your parent's house looks so pretty!! and I love that picture of you and the man!! so cute!!! and everything looks so SPRING like and warm!! I be jealoussssss.

Love the hummus and veggie platter! Raw cauliflower is so tasty! :)

anddddddddddddddd how could I leave out that Fruit Crisp?! your baking ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS makes me drool.


have a great week, Erica!!!

love,
GC

I Run for Fun said...

The fruit crisp looks delicious!

Very cute pics! You guys make such a cute couple. Glad you had an awesome weekend.

Anonymous said...

Looks like you had such a great time!

fittingbackin said...

What a great recipe! I want your parents view! And deck! And that body of water... I'm jealous! :)

You and your parents are so cute - you look just like them!

Great run - hope to one day get 4 miles in the time it takes you!

Kelly said...

MMmmm love the sound of that crisp. How unique!

Maria said...

Glad you had a nice Easter with family. I am so jealous of your weather. We are still getting snow today:) I went to Pump this morning. Still loving it. I really wish I could take your class though:) Have a great week my friend. I have a work trip, not excited:(

Anonymous said...

YUMMM!!!!! I had coronas this weekend too! Love patio weather! WOW! That doggy is humongo!

Alisa said...

Fruit crisp is one of my top two favorite desserts (tied with chocolate chip cookies - I may be boring, but they are classics!).

Glad you had a great Easter!

Nicci said...

I love making fruit crisps!

homecookedem said...

WOW! That's a fast 4 miles, way to go!! :)

Your fruit crisp looks amazing!!

So glad you had such a lovely Easter and you look so pretty as always!! :)

The Blonde Duck said...

I love fruit crisps! I hope ya'll had a great Easter!

Janetha @ meals + moves said...

wow, that fruit crisp looks fantastic! sounds/looks like your weekend was a hit. i LOVE that huge doggy!

teresa said...

what a lovely weekend! the pictures are so cute! i love that fruit crisp too!

Dawn (HealthySDLiving) said...

Happy Easter-looks like you had a great time! :) Aww and I love the pic of you guys...SO cute!

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

We brought a ton of roasted broccoli down to my aunt's house - I thought there wouldn't be enough but there was way, way enough :-)

tam said...

That fruit crisp looks yummy. What a cute cousin you have ! he he he x

Jessie (Vegan-minded) said...

Cute pics of you and your family! What a nice house to relax and enjoy sunny afternoon at. The fruit crisp looks yummy too. :)

Dinners and Dreams said...

I'm glad you had a fun Easter. Enjoy you evening!

Nisrine

Angharad said...

Looks like a lovely easter sunday! The fruit crisp looks really delicious!!
We ate a gigantic ham at Dan's mom's along with the usual trimming and sat in the yard drinking beer in the sun...about the best thing ever!

whatkateate said...

That crisp looks so tasty! Yuo always have the best party spread!

Erica said...

Thanks kate ;)

Anonymous said...

Yum, that crisp looks great. Glad you had a happy Easter.

Heather said...

That fruit crisp looks fantastic!

The view from your parents house is beautiful - I keep trying to convince my hubby to move a little south, maybe this will help! :)

Anonymous said...

You and Josh are so cute together! do you have post of how you met?
Katherine

Julie said...

awww how cute are you guys!

hahaha i'm actually glad i hadn't commented yet because i just read your comment and i wanted to tell you that i still haven't opened the fruit punch one hahahahaha i'm seriously avoiding it. i feel like if i drink fruit punch flavored protein powder i'll turn into the koolaid man hahaha

coronaritas! i don't drink much either but i feel like i would have to dabble with one of those little bad boys

glad you had such a great holiday girl :)

Krista said...

Wow, girl...you run like the wind! LOL! Great job...

That tropical crumble sounds amazing. What a treat.

Glad to hear you had a great time at your parents place, too!

Nicole Carrillo said...

Wow, I had never seen a fruit crisp so full of so much delicious fruit! Glad you had a good Sunday, you definitely inspired me to shoot for a fruit crisp in the future! :)

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

Oh what a great post and can i just say how HOT you look in that pic w/ your parents (prob not what you want to hear LOL..but it's true)

And all the great eats you made...love it!

And our chat today...priceless, Love ya Erika :)
xxoo

Bridget said...

That fruit crisp sounds AMAZING!! Perfect for summer with all the tropical fruits! Looks like you all had a great day with the fam :) OMG that dog is HUGE!!! So cute though!
Brian and I got a run in Easter morning too...so nice out!

Deva (Voracious Vorilee) said...

You make some of the yummiest looking desserts and dinners :-) My weekend was good - relaxing!

Unknown said...

speedy run ;) and what a fabulous easter!!! good eats and family, you really can't go wrong!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Oh wow, that fruit crisp looks/sounds amazing..I will have to bookmark the recipe for sure! Anything with fruit is usually tasty. You and Josh look so summerish and cute, love it!

Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete said...

That fruit crisp really does look great! I'm glad you had a great time this weekend. Your parents' house looks beautiful! Your running times are super fast! I'm totally jealous! I need to weight lift more! ;)

Rose said...

Outstanding recipe - thanks for posting!

You and Josh are so cute together.

I'm so glad you got to hang with your fam on Easter. Looks like a great time!

Holly said...

i LOVE LOVE LOVE the looks of that tropical fruit crisp girl! and you and josh are just so cute - seriously adorable. as is your family.

yay for hummus - i am about to eat some right now and seeing yours got me excited :)

Anonymous said...

that fruit crisp looks sinfully delicious. Your weekend looked awesome, and hope the rest of your week goes equally great. I know you teach body attack and body step? Do you work for a franchised gym? Are they more resistance based, or cardio based.
I am looking to get some interval training in my routine, and would possibly like to find some classes like these. Thanks in advance,

Evey
Don't Fight The Apple, Eve

Juliana said...

Love fruit crisp...and I am sure that was very good :-) I enjoyed the pictures!

Anonymous said...

Glad you had a nice Easter! We went to my parents house and had a nice afternoon hanging out and eating. (Can't beat those two activities!)

Great pics of you and I bet that tropical fruit crisp was really good.

We Are Not Martha said...

That fruit crisp looks and sounds amazing!! Definitely on my "must make" list. Glad you had such a fun Easter weekend :)

Sues

iamronel said...

love love love, looks yummy..thanks ill try this definitely

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