I think the heat wave finally broke, but it still seemed too hot to cook. We were having guests over this weekend so Keith threw a small (6 lb) Boston Butt on the grill for a 9-hour smoke into pulled-pork-palooza. I steamed some yellow and green squash and heated up some (canned) baked beans, so the stove got used a bit but not much. Frozen pineapple margaritas for the big people and mango limeade for the little people. For dessert, he and a munchkin had hit the farmer’s market and brought home mangoes and apricots, so I had the base for a fruit crisp, if not the fortitude to actually turn on the oven.

Recently I ran across a Heather Christos post for a Peach Coconut Almond Cobbler that looked divine. Taking her flavor profiles as inspiration, I assembled a MUCH more rustic crisp that we “baked” on the grill after the meat was pulled and we were eating dinner. I think we all agreed it was a hit!

Tropical Fruit Crisp

3 mangoes, peeled and cut into rough chunks (pits discarded)
8 – 10 apricots, washed and cut into rough chunks (pits discarded)
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon “baking” spice mix
1/2 – 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 – 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2″ chunks
1/2 – 2/3 cup oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar (to taste)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup dried, sweetened coconut

Prepare a 7″ x 11″ pan by spraying liberally with baking spray.

Mix the fruit, cornstarch, granulated sugar, and “baking” spice mix in a large bowl. Spread in the prepared baking pan.

Put the flour in a wide shallow bowl, like a soup bowl. Use your fingers to smear the butter into the flour until it is pea-sized (you aren’t going for “sand” like you would for biscuits). Put that in a large bowl and lightly toss with the oats, brown sugar, almonds, and coconut. Spread this over the fruit. Put on your grill (or in your oven) until the fruit is bubbling frantically at the edges and the topping is lightly browned (our grill was at ~ 300F for probably 40 minutes or so). I ran mine under the broiler for like 2 minutes just to add a touch more color. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

*****

I put the Trader Joe’s Ice Cream in this photo because it was a TRUE half-gallon container! Has anyone else noticed the ice cream containers shrinking?