Strawberry-Peach Crisp with Hazelnut-Pepita Crumble

This gluten-free strawberry-peach crisp is lightly sweetened with maple syrup 

and topped with a rich crumble made with hazelnut flour and pumpkin seeds.

Hello from Chattanooga, our new home! Ben and I packed everything up and drove from Boston to Tennessee across two days, arriving last night a little after midnight. I'm in love with my new city, which is Ben's hometown, already. So far we've driven around a bit looking at houses, and had amazing burgers at Main Street Meats (see my bunless burger on Insta!). We're also dogsitting for Ben's sister, so I get to spend time with this guy.

I spent a while editing the photos of this fabulous strawberry-peach crisp with hazelnut-pepita crumble today. The photographs make me a little sad, because this was the last photo shoot I did in our apartment in Boston, where I've taken all the photos for the blog so far and all the photos for my cookbook, Paleo Planet. I hope our next apartment has light that I like just as much!

Anyway, enough wistful reminiscing about the natural light at my old apartment. We're talking crisp today! I had some good-looking strawberries and peaches, but wanted to do more than just eat them. In part because I was trying to avoid packing, I decided to bake. (Yes, when I'm feeling stressed, I avoid whatever I'm worried about and bake instead. No, my fiancé has never complained!)

I put the freshly cut fruit right into the greased baking dish and added a little maple syrup, a tiny bit of tapioca flour to keep the juices under control, and a pinch of salt and the seeds of half a vanilla bean to bring out the natural sweetness of the fruit. I mixed it all together right in the dish to avoid having to wash an extra bowl. (I did have to wash the bowl I made the crumble in, but that's it for this recipe: one bowl + the baking dish).

For the crumble topping, I used almond flour along with hazelnut flour, which adds a nuttier flavor and richer color to the crisp. If you don't have hazelnut flour, you can use all almond flour (or vice versa if you only have hazelnut), but I like the way the two work together.

The pepitas (raw, hulled pumpkin seeds) add crunch and little pops of green. Since both pumpkin seeds and summer fruit are used in this crisp, it's a good summer-to-fall transition recipe. I'm not ordering any pumpkin spice lattes yet, but fall is just around the corner, and pepitas are a good way to dip your toes into the waters of autumnal foods. If you don't like pepitas or don't have them, I bet sliced almonds would be great instead.

The last choice you'll need to make about this crisp is what to serve it with. Ice cream, whipped cream, and whipped coconut cream are all great options, but I went with ice cream since it's still quite hot out. This is store-bought vanilla bean ice cream, but I bet this would be even better with homemade paleo & vegan strawberry ice cream. When I make this a few months from now, I'll probably go for the whipped cream, or maybe even some vanilla creme fraiche.

No matter what you top it with, this strawberry-peach crisp will be just the thing to finish off any dinner parties you're throwing this month, or simply surprise your family on a regular old evening. It's also perfect if you're looking for an egg-free dessert that won't leave anyone feeling like they're missing out.

Strawberry-Peach Crisp with Hazelnut-Pepita Crumble
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

For the strawberry & peach layer:

2 large peaches, pitted and sliced
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
1 tablespoon tapioca flour
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Seeds scraped from half a vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Pinch of sea salt

For the hazelnut-pepita crumble:

3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup hazelnut flour
1/2 cup pepitas
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter or ghee, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Ice cream, whipped cream, or whipped coconut cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 8x12-inch (or similar-sized) baking dish with butter or ghee. Add the peaches and strawberries to the dish. Sprinkle the tapioca flour, maple syrup, vanilla bean seeds, and sea salt on top. Use a spoon to mix everything right in the baking dish, stirring thoroughly to distribute the vanilla bean seeds.

In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour, hazelnut flour, pepitas, tapioca flour, salt, and nutmeg. Use your hands to mix in the butter, pinching to incorporate everything until there are no pieces of butter larger than the size of a pea. Stir in the maple syrup. Dollop the crumble evenly on top of the fruit.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with ice cream, whipped cream, or whipped coconut cream if desired. Store leftover crisp covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can bring it to room temperature or warm it up to serve, but it's also delicious chilled.

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