Ain't that lil' dish 'o dessertiness purty? The better part is it's amazingly delicious and stupidly easy. Got fruit in virtually any combination? Maybe a few dry ingredients? No? Well, get your ass to the store and get some, because this will kill at you next gathering. Sometimes I'm amazed at how the simplest things make the biggest impact. Our friends who were over had their swoon on...as did I. I love hot, crumbly topped fruit desserts, especially if they are blueberry inflected. Based on what I'm seeing at the farmers markets right now, your choices are endless. A little ice cream on top, and it is all there. You can make it ahead of time and reheat at 350* when you're ready to serve. I got the recipe from Darlene over at blazinghotwok, so a big thanks to her! The recipe below is for individual desserts or in one baking pan. I think it is so cool to have this personalized little dish in front of me that I highly recommend you invest in some 8 ounce ramekins!
The little berries with their sugar and cornstarch ready to be toppedBerry Crumble
from blazinghotwok
makes 1 large pie-sized or 6 ramekins
For the filling:
1 ½ lbs (4 to 5 cups) berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)
¾ oz (3 tbs) cornstarch
5 ½ oz (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
For the topping:
4 ½ oz (1 cup) all purpose flour
2 3/8 oz (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
2 1/8 oz (1/3 cup packed) brown sugar
pinch of salt
8 oz (1 stick) cold butter, diced
1 5/8 oz (½ cup) quick-cooking or regular rolled oats
1 5/8 oz (1/2 cup) sliced almonds
Begin by making the topping. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt and butter until you get a coarse mixture. I like to add the oats and pulse a couple of times to break them up a little. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the almonds. Mix in the almonds making clumps (although it will still be pretty loose).
In another large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cornstarch and mix until all the cornstarch is mixed in with the sugar. Add the fruit and lemon juice and carefully mix, trying not to mash the fruit. Transfer the fruit into a large baking dish (or ramekins) and press the topping on. I like to make sure the fruit is completely covered. Bake in a 350F oven (on a sheet pan to catch the juices) until bubbly and the topping is golden.
Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream.
