With the tiniest chill in the air, mainly at night…. it has been crumble making season over here.
After receiving a bag of freshly picked sugar plums (just a pretty name for french prunes) I wanted to find a recipe to enjoy them. In the midst of just looking for a simple crumble I ended up finding the most perfect crumble, one that can be used on top of any fruit and made quickly. I know because I’ve since tried it, and even made the crumble gluten-free.
The Best Crumble
fresh fruit (about 3 pounds if using all of crumble at once)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour (or 1cup King Arthur multi-purpose gluten-free flour + 1/4 xanthan gum)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Combine fruit and brown sugar. Butter a baking dish (pie glass, casserole, etc). Sift flour, salt and cinnamon. Add beaten egg to dry ingredients. Stir and break up with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over fruit. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until fruit juices are bubbling. Serve warm with ice cream on top.
I simplified it to make mini-crumbles throughout the week. Add the brown sugar to the sifted dry ingredients, add the beaten egg and mix. Keep the crumble in the fridge and just sprinkle on top of fresh fruit mixed with a splash of fresh lemon juice, drizzle a tablespoon or two of melted unsalted butter on top and bake. I tried walnuts sprinkled on top of the crumble, too…delicious! You’ll just need to estimate for the smaller dishes, normally about 20 minutes and listen for the bubbling juices.
The pictured recipe above is in a 5×5 small baking dish (single or two person serving) using 3 sugar plums and a pear topped with vanilla bean ice cream. I have also made this recipe with apples, peaches, and pluots, always mixing a stone fruit with a pome fruit. I plan on trying it with crème fraîche or mascarpone on top, too.
