I love the taste of fruit in the winter. It isn't fresh fruit, of course. There is occasionally fresh fruit in the winter but it is shipped in from far-away lands like Florida and California. Can you imagine living somewhere that produces fresh food year-round?
I actually made these a couple of weeks ago in the frenzy of chocolate and caramel and peanut brittle. It all just seemed so rich and heavy. This is refreshing and light compared to those, which is good because it cleanses your palate so that you feel ready to head back and hit up the chocolate covered pretzels. So, actually, this could be a dangerous dish to make. But go ahead and make it anyway. It is easy and gives the dull, cold winter a refreshing pick-me-up. Keep warm!
Berry-Berry Streusel Bars: Printer-Friendly Version
Crust: 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Filling: 1 12-ounce package frozen blueberries, thawed 2/3 cup strawberry jam 5 teaspoons all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons minced lemon peel 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For crust: Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Combine first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Add butter; rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press half of crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust until light brown, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
For filling: Mix blueberries, jam, flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel in bowl.
Spread filling over crust. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over. Bake until topping is golden, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan. Cut into squares and serve.
Source: adapted slightly from Bon Appetit
