On vacation to BC’s Vancouver Island this week, enjoying the blessing of staying ocean-front!  On the walk down to the shore, came across blackberries, hanging like dense grape clusters. Ripe. Delicious. Knowing we had fresh, juicy BC Peaches from the Okanagan in the house, I could not resist putting this one together for last night’s dessert. Unlike the price of the ice-cream at the local bodega, this dessert did not disappoint!

 

FILLING:
10 large peaches
1 orange, zested
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
2 T flour
1 heaping C Blackberries

TOPPING:
1 1/2 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 C instant oatmeal
1/4 t salt
1 C butter, cold

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Peel and slice your peaches
2. Zest 1 orange and add it to the peaches
3. Toss in 1/4 C sugar, 1/2 C brown sugar and 2 T flour. Give it all a good stir
4. Add 1 heaping cup of blackberries and gently fold them in.  Note: You want the pretty berries to stay mostly intact.
5. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and pour the peach filling in.
6. To make the topping, slice 1 cup of cold butter into small chunks.
7. Mix 1 1/2 C flour, 1 C sugar, 1/2 C brown sugar , 1 C instant oatmeal and 1/4 t salt, until combined.
8. Toss in the cold butter and let it mix until the butter is broken down and resembles coarse crumbs. Should take about 3-4 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer or just don’t want to use your mixer…you can cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or even with a pair of butter knives.
9. Spread the topping evenly over the fruit.
10. Bake for 60 minutes, or until the top is golden and crisp and the filling is bubbly and divine. Serve warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream (or whipped cream).

Yield: 8-10 Servings