You can skip the story and scroll right to the bottom for the recipe. It's fine. In fact, I do it myself (GASP!). For the rest of you:
Patience. Not my strong suit. Have I gotten better at it? Sure. Have I mastered it? Well, no. I worked with small children at one period in my life. Small children teach you A LOT of patience. So I thank them. Cooking also takes a lot of patience, but in a sense it's a joyful type of patience. You don't have a thing? Make it up with some other thing. Throw dirty socks and some water in a pot and TA-DAAAAH you have your famous holiday soup.**
**Disclaimer: Previous sentence was for semi-comedic effect. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT try making 'dirty sock soup' at home. Just...no.
I've been teaching cooking classes for 15 years. At some point in the journey my mom, being a mom and having a rightful place to point out such memories of her children, said "I'm surprised you ended up teaching cooking classes." I had ALWAYS been a cook, friends. At 8 I was already combining different foods and making whole new creations, like American cheese and Italian dressing. Or...saltines and mayo. It's ok. Just let that wash over you and we'll move on.
Super bewildered, I asked "Why?"
"Because you used to BURN things." she stated.
Cut to the moment I blocked out circa 19 years old, not having any patience whatsoever. It was frozen? Cool, we can cook it from frozen. Crank the oven to 500 degrees and literally forget about it. Rice that takes 30 mins to cook? Not here! Raw rice in boiling water for 15! Half burnt because all the water evaporated and still half-crunchy, but I saved so much time! No problem! It took time (and honestly, living on my own) to really appreciate cooking and the time it takes to bring a sauce to life or the perfect amount of time to properly braise a cut of meat. Patience was more than a virtue. It was...enlightening, to be honest.
But baking? NOPE. Just not a skill I possess. Even when I follow exact measurements, it's a nightmare. Last Thanksgiving, I made my favorite pumpkin bread recipe, which I used to make often, and because I hadn't used the skill in a couple years, it was an underbaked disaster. Too much focus for this focus-less girl, I suppose.
Until now. This is baking for the rest of us. This is the "aghhh I...WHY did I buy all of these <fruits>, or "I got out of hand apple picking and NO MORE SAUCE..STOPPPP" solution to all of your problems. This, my friends, is the fruit crumble. The guiding light for cooks who like to mess with proportions of things and still come out with a winner. When life gives you lemons, you turn that *$&*& into dessert. Oh yes you do.
But I've taken up too much space with stories. On to the recipe and its non-Insta ready photo moment. Ready? Good.
Here's what I had and what I used. You can sub ANYTHING for ANYTHING in this recipe. I am not kidding. Sub-away!
Filling:
2 pounds ripe peaches (because you bought too many and forgot them in the fridge. Oops.)
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or tapioca flour or cornstarch. Those peaches were JUICY. Cut to 1 tablespoon for apples or fruits that produce less juice.)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crumble:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup buckwheat groats (don't have those? Leave them out!)
1/4 cup pecan pieces (or walnuts, sunflower seeds for nut allergies, or no nuts. None.)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Dice the peaches, add them to a bowl with the rest of the filling ingredients and stir together. Pour into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 13 baking dish (no grease needed, unless you want to use butter or coconut oil for a little more flavor).
2.) In a blender, pulse the oats, groats (if using), nuts or seeds (if using) until chopped but there's still texture. Add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir together with your hands. It should feel clumpy and sandy and perfect for crumbling over the top of the fruit (see what I did there...crumble...oh never mind).
3.) Bake at that 350 degrees F for 25 mins. Then turn the oven OFF and let the crumble sit in the cooling oven for another 5-10 minutes. It gives a final thickening to the juice and crisps up that crumble to ultimate satisfactory levels.
4.) Take a picture ('cause we have to these days) and (don't) impress your friends with your humble crumble.
5.) Eat it. With ice cream, with vegan ice cream, with whipped cream, coconut whipped cream, a little half and half poured over the top, for breakfast, alone, with someone, with pets, neighbors, strangers...you get the idea.
Cheers!
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