Friday, May 7, 2010

Crumble or Crisp — Who Cares?


Janet here: Sometimes the inspiration for a post is the food. This time I was inspired by these cute Polish pottery ramekins that I recently bought. I HAD to find something to make for them and I had to find it FAST.


Anyway, as the first photo shows, I went with a fruit crumble. I'm not sure what the difference is between a crumble and a crisp — if any of you know please fill us in — but I do know they are both deliciously wonderful because they feature cooked fruit combos and the wonderfulness of oats and crispy brown sugar. While people often think of these desserts in the fall in the Northeast when apples are plentiful, really any time of year is crumble/crisp season precisely because the fruit doesn't have to be perfect because you bake it. I chose pears and blueberries for this particular mix, but you can do peaches and blueberries, peaches and raspberries — the possibilities are really endless. Serve them warm and get ready to listen to the oohs and aahs.

Pear and Blueberry Crumble
fills 8 ramekins or 1 baking pan

Ingredients
fruit part
4 ripe pears
1 pint of blueberries
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

crumble part
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick butter, diced

Method
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut up the pears into wedges. Mix with the rest of the fruit ingredients. Let sit for five minutes

In a separate bowl mix the other ingredients together. I just do this with my hands because I don't have a food processor, but if you have one, obviously your life will be easier.

Bake 45 minutes until top is brown and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Rachel here: So, I didn't bake with my fruit. Nope, no oven was turned on in my kitchen (at least, not for this post). Instead, I just whipped some heavy cream, sliced some strawberries and indulged in one of my favorite combinations of all time. There are few things so simple as strawberries and whipped cream and, with strawberries galore in our neck of the woods these days, I just couldn't resist. It felt so fantastically summery and the perfect amount of indulgent. I have to say, though, that now I find myself wanting some fruit crisp...or is it crumble?

1 comment:

  1. I am very fond of crumbles, crisps and cobblers. I might even know the difference if prodded, but your right, who cares it all goes to the same place. These look delish.

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