Fresh Strawberry Crisp

I am getting so excited for strawberry season, I have to admit I jumped the gun a bit. I saw some really beautiful strawberries at the store, and they weren't very expensive, so I bought a pile of them. We ate quite a few plain, they were so delicious. But then, we needed to use some up before they spoiled. So, we start making things, strawberry ice cream, strawberry pie, you know how this goes.

And strawberry crisp. Crisp (or crumble) is one recipe every home cook should have in their back pocket, to pull out whenever you have fresh fruit. It is simple, always good, and can be used with almost any fruit you have on hand. I baked this one in individual casseroles, and served with homemade vanilla ice cream. One of my dinner guests nearly had a food-gasm! Yummy !

Fresh Strawberry Crisp

1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour

For the topping:
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Ice cream or whipped cream, for topping

Preheat oven to 350. Grease individual casseroles. Place strawberries in a large bowl, and gently toss with sugar, vanilla and flour. Distribute evenly between the casseroles. In the same bowl, combine the topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly. Top the strawberries with the crumble mixture. Bake for 40 minutes until bubbly and golden on top. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.