Seasonal Fruit Crumble

Seasonal Fruit Crumble

Serves 8-10

Cooked fruit is comforting and nourishing, and this dessert is all that. Pick the fruit of your choice from the list below and follow the recipe. Single fruits are heavenly, but for fun I’ve simply paired a few seasonal fruits together.  There are more possibilities!

Winter:  Apple-Pear

Spring: Rhubarb-strawberry

Summer & Fall:  Peach-Raspberry or Plum-Raspberry or Cherry-Chocolate  or mulberry-apple

2 pounds hard fruit, cut in 1/2, seeded or pitted, and cut in 1-inch wedges or chunks

2/3 C granulated sugar, divided

1 ¼ C all-purpose flour, divided

2 TBL orangejuice

½ pint fresh berries (if using)

1/3 C light brown sugar, packed

*

¼ tsp kosher salt

8 TBL (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

½ C old fashioned cooking oats

½ C sliced blanched almonds, plus extra for sprinkling

*

½ C dark chocolate chips (ONLY for cherry crumble)

1.     Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2.     In a large bowl, combine the sliced fruit, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the flour, and the orange juice and toss well (add extra flour if fruit is extra juicy). Add the berries, if using, and toss lightly. Pour into a 9 x 12 by 2-inch baking dish.

3.     For the topping, place the remaining 1 cup of flour, the remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the oats, and work it with your hands until it's in large crumbles. Add 1/2 cup of the almonds and mix well.

4.     Spread the topping evenly over the fruit, making sure the fruit is covered. Sprinkle with some extra almonds. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.