Homemade Eats: Seasonal Fruit Crumble

Here's an adaptable recipe that can be eaten as dessert, breakfast...or even while standing next to the fridge in the middle of the night.

The main reason I love flexible recipes is that they allow you to use what you already have, or quickly adapt to local seasonal availability. Frozen fruit can also be used in lieu of fresh (don't deny yourself a crumble in winter if you have some bounty of summer chilling in the freezer.

Here in Maine, I love using strawberry/rhubarb in the spring, blueberries/peaches in the summer, apples/blackberries or pears/ginger in the fall, and fresh cranberries or frozen fruit in the winter.

Ingredients:

6 cups of seasonal fruit, washed, peeled, cut

1⁄4 cup granulated sugar or 2 tbsp. of maple syrup or 2 tbsp. honey

1 ½ cups of oats

½ cup of flour

2⁄3 cup brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) of cold butter (cut into small cubes)

Set over to 350 degrees F. Add fruit to a 9”x9” baking pan and evenly coat with sugar, maple syrup or honey. If you are using apples or pears, squeeze a bit of lemon juice if you have it. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Using a fork or clean hands, mash up the dry ingredients into a crumbling consistency. Pour the dry crumble evenly over the fruit. If you like, add a handful of sliced almonds to the top. Cook for 45 minutes or until the top browns. Set out to cool for 10-15 minutes before eating. Serve with vanilla ice cream for ultimate decadence.