Blackberry Crumble Pie

In my second year of boarding school, on the coldest day of the coldest spring Northern Michigan had to offer, I sat on the floor of my dorm room eating a mediocre cherry pie with my bare hands. No, I was not a burgeoning competitive eater. Nor was this part of a misty-eyed break-up montage. I was suffering from a severe lack of pie, and the summery warmth it provides.

Let's face it, pie is the best dessert. It's simply the most delicious taste in the whole world. I eat it on my birthday instead of cake. And at my wedding, well, let's just say I hope the structural integrity of the crumble is somehow better than its name suggests.

And, yes, I know I'd be a better person if everything I ate was locally sourced and seasonally appropriate. My life could be a satisfying series of soft-focus sepia-toned facebook albums. In the winter, I'd make swiss chard soup in vintage crockery. In the spring, I'd roast asparagus with homegrown herbs. And in the summer, there'd be self-brewed beer and handspun picnic blankets. But, folks, blackberries are available only a couple months a year. And without them, there is no blackberry pie. And without that, there really isn't much reason to do anything at all.

So before you ride off on your European bike to the artisanal cheese shop, allow me to make a case for frozen berries in April.

Though they're far from being the ideal berry, glowing in little baskets at your weekend farmer's market, the frozen ones are really the next best thing. Think about it this way, frozen berries were plucked from the vine in their succulent prime and quickly preserved to provide you with year round tastiness. So, grab your re-usable grocery bag, head to Whole Foods, buy yourself the biggest bag of organic blackberries imaginable, and pat yourself on the back. Job well done. You don't have to feel bad about the impact to the environment or your gylcemic index. Utilizing oats, agave, and whole wheat flour, this probably comes out to just 180 calories/serving. Unless your serving is the size of a pie pan. In that case, be civilized. Use a fork.

Blackberry Crumble Pie

For the topping:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
• 1/4 cup (half stick) butter, melted

For the filling:

• 4 cups frozen blackberries
  
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

Heat oven to 350. Toss fruit with agave, flour, cornstarch, and lemon juice and zest. When fruit is coated, pour into ungreased pie dish.

Combine oats, flour, sugar, and baking powder in medium bowl. Pour in egg and mix until combined. Topping will be somewhat dry and crumbly.

Sprinkle topping evenly over berries, then drizzle with melted butter. Bake about 40 minutes, or until topping is toasted and fruit is bubbling and tender.