There are all sorts of wonderful fruit desserts that are baked with some sort of topping or crust and a crumble is just one of them. Summer fruits lend themselves well to crumbles because their high water content creates a thick, bubbly juice that bathes the fruit and infuses some of the topping or crust making three delicious layers of crisp topping, gooey-crispy fruit infused crust, and thick baked fruit.I used peaches from today's box as well as raspberries and blueberries that I picked earlier this week at Underwood Farms in Somis. But you can use any combination of stone fruits or berries to make this tasty dessert. You can add a little sugar to the fruit mixture, or not, it's up to you. And herbs like lemon verbena, or a little lemon or orange zest adds a little extra zing. The ratio of fruit to topping is also a matter of taste, so feel free to experiment with that, too.
Prepare 4-6 C summer fruit: Use whole berries such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and/or blackberries; and/or peel, pit, and slice peaches, nectarines and/or apricots. Add 1/2 C sugar to the prepared fruit mixture, if desired.
4 T cold butter, cut into small cubes, plus butter to grease the baking dish
2/3 C flour
1/3 C white sugar\
1/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C rolled oats, toasted
1/3 C toasted almonds, chopped
pinch salt
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Generously butter an 8x8 (or similarly sized) baking dish. Spoon the prepared fruit in the buttered dish. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients with a pastry blender, 2 knives, or a fork, until combined but still crumbly.
4. Sprinkle the topping mixture over the fruit in the prepare baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes until the fruit is bubbly and the topping has browned.
Today's bounty included:
From Sage Mountain Farm: Chantenay carrots, 8 ball squash, strawberries, green garlic, spring candy onions, and bull's blood beets;
From JR Organics: Red butter lettuce, strawberries, basil, and cucumbers;
From Jaime Farms: Radishes, chard, yellow peppers, dill, and cilantro;
From Sweet Tree Farms: Apricots and peaches.
Enjoy!
Shelley
