One of the easiest desserts ever is the humble crumble. Or crisp. Whatever you call it, it barely calls for a recipe and it’s delicious. When a crumble presents itself on the table, Cornelius is ready to bow down in its greatness. He looks down at me (he is well over six feet tall) with utter love in his eyes, “You made this for me?”. It’s a win-win situation. In talking about preparation, Cornelius is all for purity. “Two fruits, max”, he lets me know. To me, that’s just too little and always too late. Why settle for just 2 fruits when three kinds of fruit will just make everything better. Hell, I’ve been known to add four kinds of fruit…the more the merrier!
This crumble is a compromise. A three fruit marriage that isn’t meant to last. In fact, I was hoping to eat this for breakfast the next morning with a plop of coconut yogurt, but Cornelius finished the leftovers before bed.
three fruit crumble
2 stalks of rhubarb, chopped into half moons
1 granny smith apple, diced
1 cup of strawberries, cut in half or quarters (I used frozen)
1/4 c – 1/2 c brown sugar (or so, depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
2 t cinnamon
1 large pinch of ground cardamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1 large pinch of nutmeg1. Mix all the above into a medium sized oven proof dish, covering all the fruit with the sugar and spices.
2. Prepare the crumble topping:
2 T oats
2 T flour
2 T brown sugar
2 T cold butter (or vegan margerine)
2 T chopped walnutsIn a small bowl, blend topping ingredients (except walnuts) with your fingers. Stop when crumble resembles small peas. Pour over top of fruit and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until fruit becomes soft and juicy and crumble turns golden brown.
I just might break with tradition and try your baked oatmeal – I just might have to lie in a darkened room afterwards to get over the shock :0)
India
Yum! I don’t blame Cornelius one bit for eating it all.
midsummer night’s knitter, yes, break with tradition 🙂
sara, it’s true. it was delicious and it’s so easy to make that another crumble is probably just around the corner!
dawna, coconut yogurt is the very best! it’s made by liberty and i’ve found it at the coop on the drive as well as benny’s, my local strathcona grocer. i’m sure many stores must have it. it’s a treat beyond all treats!!
Another one for moi 🙂
I will use rice flour or oat flour instead of all-purpose and canola oil instead of butter/margarine…mmmmm.
Yup, I have my own version of “Cornelius”. My guy went through a whole German cheesecake in hours and left not even a crumb for me to sample. Mind you it wasn’t homemade so I didn’t have ownership on it, but still…!
I’ve been wanting to make a crisp ever since the Apple Festival at UBC – this looks great!
I have to ask… coconut yoghurt? Where on earth do you find such a treat? I must know!
joanne, glad you can imbibe in this one! it’s a goodie…if it lasts 😉
dawna, you definitely have some discipline! i love that coconut yogurt! yum.
Thanks, Kickpleat – I actually spotted it on my shopping trip after work today (I love Liberty yoghurts, but I didn’t know they came in so many flavours, because the market where I had bought them before only had three kinds!). I promptly bought one, and it sits in my fridge awaiting dessert. How disciplined am I??
hmmm yum! This makes me hungry right now! lol