Oh boy. This week, much to my delight, our CSA share included 3 pounds of peaches – yum! This calls for a fruit crisp, one of my all-time favorite desserts. So quick and easy, this simple dessert really lets the fresh fruit of the season shine. My friend Caroline gave me this recipe many, many moons ago, and it’s always a winner. Thanks, Car!
Today, however, I tried something new. Instead of using refined sugar, I used Sucanat. I have seen it listed as an ingredient in a variety of products and wanted to test it for myself. Sucanat is basically dehydrated whole cane sugar that has been pressed into granules. Of all the major sugars derived from sugar cane, Sucanat ranks the highest in nutritional value. But don’t kid yourself – it’s still sugar. It can be substituted 1-for-1 for refined sugar or brown sugar. It’s sort of grainy and since it retains its molasses content, my guess is it will work best as a substitute in quick breads and muffins, or as a substitute for brown sugar in cookies.
As for Sucanat in my crisp – it worked! The streusel topping was rich, chewy and delicious. It was not as sweet as when made with refined sugar, but that allowed the dreamy sweetness of the peaches to stand out.
