Blueberry Peach Crumble Sharing

I made one of my favorite "fall back" recipes recently and thought I would share it with the Fresh Ink family.  It's my "fall back" because it's so simple, impressive, and I almost always have everything I need to make it.

It seems like at the end of the summer, all sorts of fresh fruit is on sale at great prices, and it is nothing for me to leave the store with a bushel of peaches or 4 for $5 pints of blueberries.  This recipe is intended for that combination, but it is great with almost any fresh fruit in season.  It's warm and comforting, without being as heavy as a cake or pie because it has the crumbly cobbler-ish crust only on the top.

The actual recipe is below, and the only notes I would add are that I use McCarty cups instead of ramekins (to impress guests with my Mississippi earthenware) and I like a bit of crunch so I stir in some oats to the topping too, probably about 1/2 to 1 cup, and reduce the flour slightly given the oats addition.

The beautiful thing about this recipe, which Ina notes below, is that you can get it ready in the pretty individual serving dishes ahead of time, then refrigerate and pop them in the oven while having dinner. Remember to pop them into a cold oven, though, if getting from the fridge.  You don't want to put cold pottery into a hot oven and risk it cracking.

The individual serving bowls make this an essential for dinner parties.

Peeling and cutting up the peaches is the hardest part.  Otherwise stir fruit with a few ingredients, let rest a few minutes, and spoon fruit into McCarty cups.

This fruit is ready for my favorite part, the crumbly topping! (next)

Be sure and follow the directions and use cold butter, then just use your hands, it's easier to mix that way.

Divide the topping between the fruit bowls.  The recipe below makes a lot of topping, probably intended for a full pan and not individual bowls.  But it is delicious!

These are hot out of the oven, bubbly on the sides and just waiting for ice cream!

Enjoy!

Blueberry Peach Crumble Recipe (from the Barefoot Contessa)Ingredients

For the fruit:

• 2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8 peaches)
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the crumble:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it's in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner.

If you are like me, you can make a cosmo while preparing them!  Cheers!