The Recipes Issue
(Almost Any) Fruit Crumble
Ingredients
For the fruit:
Butter or cooking spray, for greasing the dish
⅓ cup (77 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons (30 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Zest and juice (about 2 teaspoons) from 1 large lemon
6 cups fruit, such as blueberries, cherries or strawberries (chopped if large), thawed if frozen
For the crumble:
½ cup (70 grams) flour
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
½ cup (110 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons (4 ounces or 1 stick) cold butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup (55 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats (Do not use instant or quick-cooking oats)
1 cup (4 ounces) toasted or untoasted nuts of your choice, such as walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, chopped (optional; see see note above).
Directions
Grease an 11″ x 8″ x 2″ metal baking pan (see note above).
For the fruit: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and zest. Add the fruit and lemon juice, and gently toss together until the fruit is well-coated, but with the berries still intact. Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the baking pan. Wipe out the bowl, and use it to make the crumble.
If baking immediately, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375ºF.
For the crumble: In the mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated and brown sugars, and nutmeg. Add the butter; using your fingers, quickly work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs (not too fine). Stir in the oats.
Scatter the nuts, if using, over the fruit. Then evenly scatter the crumble over the top. (The pan can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day at this point.)
Bake in the preheated oven until the fruit is bubbling at the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. If you want the topping to be darker, turn the oven to broil for a minute, but watch it carefully to avoid burning. (If using a glass baking dish, skip this step to avoid shattering the pan.)
Serve warm or at room temperature, as is or with whipped cream or ice cream.
Adapted from Maida Heatter’s Book of Great American Desserts by Maida Heatter (Alfred A. Knopf, 1985).
