Individual Summer Fruit Crumbles
Summertime! Summertime! Summertime!
Imagine me running around the house singing that in a slightly, ok very offpitch, singsong. Why do you ask, am I happy enough to annoy the neighbors, make Adam leave the house, and the dog cover her ears with her paws? Becaaauuussse, besides, sun, fun, beer, beach days, and bbq's, summertime means strawberries! And rhubarb! And nectarines! And that means Summer Fruit Crumbles!
{Fruit with the Fixings}
Ok, ok so I act like I make this crumble thingy every summer or something. Well, I don't. This is my first time actually. BUT I think about making them every summer! So there. And I stare longingly at the stalks of rhubarb in the grocery store every year, once even venturing to use them in this pie. So when I snuck some stalks in our grocery cart this weekend and Adam eyed me warily asking when in the world would I ever use those, I knew I HAD to make something with them. Fast.
Hello, summer fruit crumbles! We all know that strawberry and rhubarb are a classic summer combo, but why stop there? Nectarines and peaches are in season and they look, smell, and taste delicious! I opted for nectarines in this recipe, but you could easily use peaches instead or use both.
Since rhubarb is tart and mellows the sweetness of the strawberries and nectarines, I added a little sugar to the fruit mix. But since I'm not big on sweet sweet desserts, and I really wanted the fruit to stand out, I only added a minimal amount. If you like things on the sweeter side feel free to up the sugar in the recipe.
The crumble is a simple mix of butter, flour, oats, sugar, and flavoring. Some finely chopped nuts would also be a nice addition. I wanted my crumble crunchy but still a little doughy. I think I found a nice balance with the use of oats and flour with a little turbinado sugar for added crunch.
Individual Summer Fruit Crumbles
4 individual servings
Ingredients:
Filling:
1 large stalk rhubarb (about 1/2 cup)
about 1 cup sliced strawberries
1 nectarine, skins removed, diced
1/2 Tbls cornstarch
pinch of salt
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
2 Tbls brown sugar
Topping:
1/2 stick butter - melted
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbls flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbls turbinado sugar
1 Tbls brown sugar
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut all the fruit and place in bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Mix together. Divide fruit among 4 individual ramekins.
- In another bowl melt the butter. Add the oats, flour, baking powder, vanilla, turbinado sugar, and brown sugar. Mix together until moist clumps form.
- Divide topping among the ramekins. Cook for approx 25 minutes until topping is golden and fruit is bubbly.
- Enjoy warm or cold. Share if you can. :)
Peace, Love, Summer Desserts, and Happiness!