Nothing says summer more than a heaping bowl of fruit cobbler, crisp or crumble topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's like a little slice of heaven in bowl, and a sure hit for any summer dinner party. One of my favorite food bloggers, Jennifer Perillo, agreed to share her recipes for Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble and Blueberry Cookie Crumble with you lucky Macaroni Kid EATS! readers. These innovative, mouth-watering recipes make perfect use of some of summer's most delicious fruits. If you haven't already discovered Jennifer's blog, "In Jennie's Kitchen", I highly recommend you check it out. Her recipes are both accessible and inspiring, and Jennifer herself is an incredibly accomplished and talented chef, mom and all-around fun person. Bon appetit!
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients:
For the topping:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
1/4 cup coarse sugar (like Sugar in the Raw)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Leaves only from 3 sprigs of lemon thyme
Dash of ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter, melted
For the filling:
1 pint (10 ounces) strawberries, stems removed
4 stalks (12 ounces) rhubarb, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup natural cane sugar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
To make the topping, add the oats, hazelnuts, coarse sugar, salt, lemon thyme and cinnamon to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it forms a coarse, sandy mixture. Pour in the butter and pulse 3 to 4 more times until the mixture comes together into little clumps. Set bowl in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling.
Cut the strawberries into quarters and place in a deep bowl. Add the rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch to the bowl. Using a spoon to stir together until well coated. Scrape fruit mixture into a 10-inch deep ceramic pie plate or 8-inch square glass baking dish.
Sprinkle the oat topping evenly over the fruit and bake for 35 minutes, until the juices bubble and the topping is a deep golden color. Remove from oven and let sit on a wire rack until cooled, about 2 hours. May be prepared and baked the night before—just cover the top with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter until ready to serve the next day.
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Dairy-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble: Omit the butter in the crumble topping. In its place, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) pure maple syrup.
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Serving Suggestion: I love a few generous spoons of this over thick, creamy yogurt, especially for breakfast when I'm feeling a little decadent.
Storing Leftovers: The crumble is fine covered with plastic wrap overnight at room temperature. Anything longer than that, I suggest popping it into the fridge.
Blueberry Cookie Crumble
Serves 4
Feel free to mix this up with your favorite cookies and whatever berries are in season. Making cookie crumbs is easy—just put whole ones in a plastic zip-top bag and give 'em a few whacks with a rolling pin (also a great stress reliever).
Ingredients:
1 pint blueberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ounce chopped chocolate
1/3 cup chocolate chip cookies crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350Fº. Arrange blueberries in an even layer in one 9-inch by 2-inch or two 5-inch by 2-inch oven-proof oval casserole dish. Sprinkle sugar and chopped chocolate over blueberries. Evenly sprinkle cookie crumbs on top and dot with pieces of butter.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until jammy and bubbling. Spoon into deep bowls and serve warm, with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, if desired.
