Crumbles are extremely popular at the restaurant all year … blueberry and apple, apple and raspberry, peach and cherry, mango and strawberry, pear and cranberry, whatever fits the season. Both fresh and frozen fruits work.
Susan Harville, our dessert maker for forty-plus years, developed this vegan crumble topping that features the warm, sweet taste and pleasantly nubbly texture of cornmeal that complements soft-baked fruit so well. The topping can be made in double or quadruple batches to keep in the freezer, making it quick and easy to pop a luscious, wholesome dessert into the oven.
Yields one crumble in a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate, 9- or 10-inch square baking pan, or 8 x 11- or 9 x 12-inch baking pan, or in six to eight 12-ounce baking cups
Serves 6 to 8
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
5 or 6 tart, crisp apples, peeled and sliced (about 6 cups)
1 pint (12 ounces) fresh blueberries or 1 pound frozen blueberries (about 2½ cups)
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ cups unbleached white all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup olive oil
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Make the fruit filling: In a large bowl, stir together all the filling ingredients until the fruit is evenly coated with the dry ingredients. Put the fruit filling into the baking dish(es). If you are using individual cups, place them on a baking sheet to catch drips. (If you’re using a baking dish and it seems really full, put it on a baking sheet, too.) Bake for about 45 minutes until the fruit seems soft and juices have thickened.
While the fruit bakes, make the crumble topping: Stir together all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the oils and stir to distribute evenly. Rub the mixture between your fingers for a minute or two until it has a crumbly texture.
When the first stage in the oven is done, spoon the crumble mixture on top of the fruit and return it to the oven to bake for another 35 to 45 minutes until the topping is nicely browned.
Fruit crumbles are good warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
NOTES: We usually combine a couple of fruits in a crumble, but a single fruit is fine, too. Juicier fruits may need a little more cornstarch; apples alone may not need any. The amount of sugar needed depends upon the sweetness of the fruit. Cranberries, for instance, we cook on a stovetop with enough sugar to make them tart-sweet before adding to other fruit and baking. Peaches don’t take as long to bake as apples. Nutmeg is tasty in addition to or instead of cinnamon, especially with peaches and cherries. If you have fresh apricots, try a little cardamom in the crumble.
Fruit crumble is a beloved classic American dessert, good in every season and with all sorts of fruit. For those of you who aren’t vegan, a little whipped cream, ice cream, or yogurt on top is delicious. Crumble is also appropriate for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon pick-me-up, or a midnight snack.