Cardamom-Ginger Blueberry Crisp

Yes, I am aware that blueberry season is long over. Like a good little squirrel, though, I stashed several bags of delicious Michigan blueberries in my freezer for winter. Girl Scouts (yep, I was a Girl Scout for ten years), after all, are always prepared. So when I decided that I wanted a little variety with my apple- and squash-filled autumn foods, I had a couple bags of blueberries ready to go. I had every intention of making some tasty little blueberry hand pies. Unfortunately, that was an epic fail, since my blueberry mixture was oozy, making the crust soggy and keeping me from being able to seal the crusts together. Luckily the blueberries were salvageable, my Plan B turned out to be even better than my original intentions.

Tossed with honey and cardamom, then topped with a hearty ginger oat crumble, this blueberry crisp is a dessert that'll tempt you to eat the whole thing, by yourself, in a single sitting (I avoided this temptation...barely). The natural sweetness of blueberries enhanced with a touch of honey make the crisp sweet enough to satisfy the sweetest of sweet teeth without being sugary, and the abundance of whole grains and antioxidant powers of the blueberries makes it completely justifiable as a breakfast dish. Well, it was justifiable enough for me, at least.

Ingredients

4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed*

1 1/2 tsp lemon peel

1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom seeds

2 Tbsp arrowroot starch (or 1/4 cup all-purpose flour)

1/4 cup raw clover honey

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

pinch salt

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter

Directions

1) Toss together blueberries, lemon peel, cardamom, and honey. Pour into a 9x5" loaf pan (you can put it into a 8x8" pan too, but it'll be thinner).

2) Whisk together oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger, and salt. Cut in butter and rub together with fingers until flour/oat mixture is incorporated into coarse crumbles.

3) Sprinkle crumble mixture on top of blueberries. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 30-35 min, or until fruit is bubbling and crumble topping is lightly browned. Serve warm or allow to cool on a wire rack. Crisp will last 3-4 days when tightly covered, although it's best within a day.

*If you don't allow frozen blueberries time to at least partially thaw, then you'll find that it's impossibly difficult to incorporate the honey, since it'll stick to the first few blueberries it touches, then you'll have to put the whole thing in the microwave. Just a warning.