The Crumble – Strawberry and Cherry

Summer is officially in full swing, though this sadly also means we are well into bikini season. The good news is that summer months bring in cherries, peaches, plums, and more wonderful fruit, and while I should be working out a lot so I can hit the beach, I’ve really just doing a lot more baking and eating.

In preparation for the coming of stone fruit season, I took a baking class on cobblers, crisps, crumbles, and buckles back in April. We had a potluck dinner for the Kawasaki twins’ birthdays at the end of the month, but the aforementioned fruits from my local grocery stores weren’t quite ripe yet. I decided to make a crumble featuring strawberries instead. I prepped everything in advance and assembled and baked it at Kelli‘s.

I forgot to take photo of finished Strawberry Crumble with the ice cream on top, so the above is the closest thing I have. Here’s the recipe!

Topping:

3/4 C flour
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C almond or hazelnut flour
1/4 C sugar
1 C old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 sticks butter, cold and cubed

1. Place the flours, sugars, and butter in a food processor and pulse until pea sized clumps form.

Crumble Topping - Butter, White and Brown Sugar, Oats — Crumble Topping – Butter, White and Brown Sugar, Oats

2. Fold in the oats.

3. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until butter is cold.

Strawberry Filling

1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest
4 C strawberries
1 T flour
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 C freshly squeezed orange juice

1. Toss the strawberries, sugar, and the orange zest together in a large bowl.

2. In a measuring cup, dissolve the flour in the orange juice and then mix it into the fruit.

Strawberry Filling - Strawberry, Orange Zest, Orange Juice, Flour, Sugar — Strawberry Filling – Strawberry, Orange Zest, Orange Juice, Flour, Sugar

3. Pour into ramekins about 2/3 full, or in an 8×11 pan if making a bigger one.

4. Add crumble topping on top.

5. Bake at 350ºF for 12-15 minutes until bubbly (50 minutes if using an 8×11 pan).

The great thing about crumbles is that they are quick to make and pretty much foolproof. For those that turn the simplest of recipes into culinary disasters, the crumble is perfect for you. You’re essentially just tossing some fresh fruit in some sugar, tossing the crumble on top, and popping it in the oven! You don’t need to be precise with measurements or too pretentious with presentation. You also can make as little or as much filling as you want and save the crumble topping for later. I froze the leftover topping from the twins’ birthday and ended up using some for a couple mugs of cherry crumble for Kevin and I a few weekends ago using the first batch of gorgeous cherries I saw at the market. Easy! Here’s the cherry filling recipe:

Cherry Filling