Apple crumble with corn flour and orange and my eating habits during quarantine

I don’t know about you guys, but during this quarantine my eating habits have varied a lot: breakfast with homemade bread and fruit, followed by lunch, also homemade, the very Brazilian combo of rice & beans with vegetables on the side, and sometimes beef or chicken (usually once or twice a week, tops). When it comes to dinner… my will power is usually gone.

Some days I make soup, some days I make a hearty salad with beans and eggs, but there are days I crave food that makes me feel hugged – that is when my dinner becomes pizza (homemade, because I am too afraid to order), or a nice loaf of bread with cheeses and some wine. If there are avocados dinner is guacamole. And on top of all that my cravings for sweets are now daily, and no longer only during my PMS days.

In the very few times I went out for groceries I brought home some chocolate, but my stash sometimes vanishes in no time at all. In one of those days I was desperate for something sweet I used one apple that had been in the fridge forever to make a crumble, my favorite dessert. To make the recipe a little bit more interesting, I replaced the all purpose flour with corn flour (finer than cornmeal, but this would also work) and added orange zest – it turned out delicious!

I share the recipe with you today and I hope you like it as much as I did – I am sure this crumble topping would also be delicious with other fruit, like bananas or pears: use whatever you have at hand.

Apple crumble with corn flour and orange
own recipe

Crumble topping:
2 tablespoons demerara sugar – I use it for the crunch, but it can be replaced by granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
½ cup (70g) corn flour – it is finer than cornmeal, but the latter works just as fine
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 ½ tablespoons (35g) unsalted butter, cold and diced
¼ cup (22g) rolled oats

Filling:
2 medium Granny Smith apples
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Have ready two 1-cup capacity each heatproof bowls.

Topping: in a medium bowl, rub together the sugar and orange zest until sugar is fragrant. Add the corn flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and rub the ingredients with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. With a fork, stir in the oats. Freeze the mixture while you prepared the apples: peel and core the apples. Cut them into small dice and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir to coat. Divide the apples between the two dishes and sprinkle with the crumble topping. Bake for about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm.

The crumble topping might be frozen for up to 1 month in a tightly sealed plastic bag.

Serves 2

Banana and blueberry crumble

I do not mean to sound like a broken record (again), but things have been a bit slow on this blog and that usually happens when things are everything but slow on this side of the screen. Too much work, all sorts of other things going on… And on top of that I have had almost no energy to cook or bake, let alone photograph and type posts.

Many times in the past I read my favorite food bloggers write about burnout syndrome and I think that maybe the time has come for me, too: I don’t know for sure and my mind sometimes is a blur, to be honest. I have just come back from a wonderful trip to NYC in which I had fabulous food in all sorts of ways, and I thought this would give me inspiration to go back to the kitchen, but honestly, that has not kicked in yet.

Anyway, on a sweeter note: I have baked this crumble several times in the past year and a half and it has become one of my favorites, so here is the recipe.

Banana and blueberry crumble
own recipe

¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) all purpose flour
¼ cup (50g) demerara sugar
¼ teaspoon baking poder
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
¼ cup (22g) rolled oats
¼ cup (25g) flaked almonds
4 bananas, about 140g/5oz each
1 cup (120g) blueberries, fresh or frozen (unthawed)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Set aside four 1-cup (240m) heatproof ramekins – if you prefer, bake the crumble in one 1-liter heatproof baking dish.

Crumble topping: in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the butter and rub the ingredients together with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Using a fork, stir in the oats and almonds. Freeze the mixture for 5 minutes while you prepare the fruit.

Cut the banana in round slices and divide among the ramekins. Sprinkle with the blueberries. Cover the fruit with the crumble topping and bake for 25-30 minutes or until topping is golden and blueberries are bubbling. Serve warm with ice cream or heavy cream.

The crumble topping can be kept tightly sealed in a plastic bag in the freezer for 1 month – whenever you feel like having a crumble for dessert, sprinkle the mixture over the fruit of your choice and bake – do not unthaw before using.

Serves 4

Plum and almond crumble and the end of "Girls"

After I binge-watched Girls while sick with the flu last year I could not help but continue watching the show even though Hannah got on my nerves most of the time – I sometimes wonder if the writers are trying to create the most stupid character in the world of the TV shows.

On the other hand, Elijah and Ray were my favorite characters of the show. :)

So I watched all the seasons, up to the series finale, and at the end I felt that the actual finale was episode 9 – there were several beautiful scenes, and I felt that the story could have ended right there. To be fair, I felt that the whole final season was much better than the others – and it moved me a lot more, too.

I am no stranger to making crumbles to go with my dear TV shows, and this time I made again the plum and almond crumble I had made months before, when I had last found good plums at the grocery store: plums and almonds complement each other perfectly. With my almond crumble and a nice, soft blanket and I was more than ready for Girls – and even though I was never a huge fan of Hannah and the ladies I shed a few tears at the end of the episode.

Plum and almond crumble
own creation

1/3 cup (46g) all purpose flour
2/3 cup (66g) almond meal
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
¼ cup (50g) demerara sugar
4 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, cold and diced
1/3 cup flaked almonds
4 large plums
2 tablespoons granulated sugar – if plums are very sweet, omit the sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Have ready four 1-cup capacity (240ml) heatproof bowls – you can also bake this crumble family style, using a shallow 1-liter capacity heatproof dish.

Make the topping: in a medium bowl, mix with a fork the all purpose flour, the almond meal, baking powder, salt and demerara sugar. Add butter and rub ingredients together with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Using a fork, stir in the flaked almonds – do not overmix. Freeze for 5 minutes while you prep the fruit.

Cut the plums in half and remove the stones. Cut each half in 0.5cm slices, then transfer a medium bowl. Add the granulated sugar (if using) and stir to combine – if not using the sugar, transfer the plum slices to the heatproof dishes. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit and bake for about 25 minutes or until topping is golden and crispy.

Serve with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4

Apple gingerbread crumble and weekends

Today is Friday (thank you, Universe!), or as I call it the Universal day of people asking each other what they will do on the weekend. :D

I am a very talkative person and luckily I have a good relationship with most people at the office. On Fridays some of them usually stop by my desk and ask me what my big plans for the weekend are, and it is funny to watch the look on their faces when I tell them that I intend to bake and watch Netflix. :D

On Saturday and Sunday afternoons one of the things I like doing the most is making a crumble with whatever fruit I have in the fridge/freezer and then seat comfortably on my couch to watch a movie or a TV show – it relaxes me and makes me happy. I did exactly that last weekend with a handful of apples and since I have been on a Christmas vibe lately I added a few spices to the crumble topping – it turned out delicious, therefore I share it with you now.

Apple gingerbread crumble
own creation

5 Granny Smith apples
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
5 tablespoons demerara sugar
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
70g unsalted butter, cold and diced
6 tablespoons rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

Peel, core and dice the apples, then place them into a shallow 4-cup heatproof baking dish (if you prefer, make individual crumbles dividing the apples among four 1-cup heatproof ramekins).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, spices and salt. Add the butter and rub the ingredients together with your fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Using a fork, stir in the oats. Sprinkle over the apples and bake for about 25 minutes or until topping is golden and crispy.
Serve with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 4

Banana, chocolate and peanut crumble to comfort a sad heart

I have told you several times already how much I love the Internet – this very blog would not exist if it wasn’t for it. On the other side, social networks sometimes make me sad – they make me think about lots of things sometimes.

For instance, I see people from my family sharing loads of photos and thoughts and… I feel like I don’t know those people. I did, in a very distant past, years and years ago, but life has changed so much and I no longer can relate to them – they are like complete strangers. I have a few close and dear friends I consider family much more than the people connected to me by blood – that is comforting, that puts my heart at ease. Those warm feelings make me feel good after dark thoughts cross my mind and usually I look for comfort in food form, too – not ideal, I know, but it is what it is.

Aside from my mom’s rice pudding, nothing comforts me more than a good crumble, eaten straight from the oven with a little cold heavy cream on the side. This time I added almond meal and cocoa to the topping, creating a delicious and tropical combination with the bananas.

Banana, chocolate and peanut crumble
own creation

3 large bananas, ripe yet firm, sliced in 1cm coins

Crumble topping:
1/3 cup (46g) all purpose flour
¼ cup (25g) peanut meal
½ tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 tablespoons demerara sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 ½ tablespoons (21g) unsalted butter, cold and chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Divide the bananas between two 240ml capacity ovenproof ramekins or cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, peanut meal, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the bananas and bake for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden and crispy.
Serve with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 2

Plum and amaretti crumble - 33°C and all

One resolution I’m keeping in 2014 is to continue using the inventory idea (thank you, Martha!) – it’s worked fine so far and avoided lots of waste. However, I’m not perfect (the Internet seems to make us all look very neat and tidy and put together all the time, doesn’t it? I don’t like that at all) and I do deviate from my plan now and then, and that is what happened when I bought a small bag of amaretti for my Christmas rocky road and ended up using Turkish delight instead.

Stone fruits are in season here right now and I’ve been enjoying cherries, plums and peaches like there’s no tomorrow – I would love to bake with them, too, but the problem is I usually eat them all before turning the oven on (which has been hard to do lately here because of the awful heat). Days ago, 33°C (91°F) and all, I decided to make Nigella’s plum crumble, that way using some of the amaretti left from the Christmas baking. It was really delicious: the flavor of the cookies paired beautifully with the ripe, juicy plums, and a small jug of very cold cream helped bring down the temperature a little (that and a cold shower right after dessert). :D

Plum and amaretti crumble
slightly adapted from the super delicious Nigellissima: Instant Italian Inspiration

Fruit:
35g amaretti biscuits (crunchy, not morbidi) - I used these
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
250g ripe red plums, quartered if large, halved if small, stones removed
½ tablespoon granulated sugar
finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

Crumble topping:
50g all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
30g cold unsalted butter, cut into small dice

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Have ready a 1 ½ cup (360ml) capacity ovenproof dish. Crush the amaretti with your hands and set aside.
Fruit: melt the butter in a small saucepan (that has a lid), add the plums, sprinkle in the sugar, add the lemon zest and juice and shake the pan over the heat, cooking for two minutes without a lid and two further minutes with the lid on. Transfer the plums to the dish and sprinkle with half the crushed amaretti.

Topping: put the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a small bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter and rub the ingredients with your fingertips until you get a mixture that resembles coarse crumbs. With a fork, mix in the remaining amaretti crumbs. Spread mixture over plums, then bake for about 20 minutes or until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling around the edges. Set aside for 10 minutes, then serve with cream or ice cream.

Serves 1

Apple and blueberry crumble cake + a movie that could be about my own life

My dear friend Valentina introduced me to Nigel Slater years ago and I instantly became a fan: his simple way of cooking produces absolutely delicious food and he does it in a way that anyone watching him feel they can do it, too – to me, it’s like watching Nigella around the kitchen: it’s never intimidating. They have similar names and similar styles, and they both call themselves cooks, not chefs.

Months ago I watched “Toast”, which is based upon Nigel Slater’s memoirs, and I believe I’d never cried and laughed so hard before while watching a movie. The cast is divine: Helena Bonham Carter is every bit talented as she is crazy, and the once little and adorable Freddie Highmore has become a fine young actor. There were moments in the movie that I felt like I was watching a movie about my own life, so many similarities... It was pretty intense, yet I felt light after watching it – empty Kleenex boxes aside. :)

Every time someone finds out I have a food blog they ask me if I have watched “Julie & Julia” (I have) - that seems to be the ultimate foodie movie out there (maybe it’s the Meryl Streep effect). However, I can relate a lot more to “Toast” since, like Nigel, I grew up without a mother, with a father that couldn’t care less and an evil stepmother – the difference is that his mother could barely boil an egg while my mother was an excellent cook. :)

This moist and delicious cake is an adaptation of a recipe from Nigel Slater’s book on fruit, the gorgeous “Tender II”: it is one of the very best cookbooks I own.

Apple and blueberry crumble cake
slightly adapted from the marvelous “Tender II” (I bought mine here)

Crumble:
50g unsalted butter, cold and diced
50g all purpose flour
60g granulated sugar
2 heaping tablespoons rolled oats
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake:
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
juice of ½ lemon
150g unsalted butter, softened
75g granulated sugar
75g light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
85g all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
100g almond meal
120g blueberries, fresh or frozen (unthawed)


Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 22.5x12.5cm (9x5in) loaf pan, line it with baking paper leaving an overhang on the two opposite long sides and butter the paper as well.
Make the crumble: in a small bowl, rub together the butter and flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, oats and cinnamon. Refrigerate until needed.

Cake: thinly slice the apple and place in a medium bowl. Drizzle with the lemon juice to stop the apple slices from turning brown. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the mixture and fold in. Fold in the almond meal. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Arrange the apple slices and the blueberries on top of the batter, and push some of the fruit down onto the batter. Sprinkle with the crumble and bake for about 1 hour or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out slightly moist. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Carefully remove the cake from the pan using the baking paper as aid.

Serves 6-8

Plum and ginger crumble with flapjack topping

As I’d imagined, my list of favorites wasn’t on the Academy members’ minds, but at least Ang Lee took home the Best Director award and that was great – the moment his name was announced I jumped on the bed so hard I ended up waking up my husband. :D

I have tremendous respect for Lee who, to me, is one of the best directors out there: not only is the man super talented but also very versatile – how many directors actually deserve both adjectives? Too bad, once again, his movie did not get the Best Picture award, but just as to me “Brokeback Mountain” was the best movie back in 2005 “Life of Pi” was the best in 2012.

And, speaking of best this and best that, this crumble comes from one of the best cookbooks I own, and certainly one of the most beautiful as well: the flapjack topping - and by flapjack I mean the cereal bar and not pancakes, as the fantastic Jeremy Irons explains to Martha - is so good I’ll try this recipe with apples once fall arrives.

Plum and ginger crumble with flapjack topping
slightly adapted from the wonderful Good Things to Eat (mine was bought here)

250g small plums, halved, stones removed
1 teaspoon finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon water
pinch ground cinnamon
50g + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided use
¼ cup (50g) + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided use
1/3 cup (30g) rolled oats
1/3 cup (46g) self-raising flour*
½ tablespoon golden syrup
1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream – I used sour cream I had left from another recipe

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Have ready a shallow 500ml-capacity ovenproof baking dish.
Put the plums in a small saucepan with the ginger, water, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, until the plums have started to soften. Transfer the mixture to the ovenproof dish and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the sugar.
In a small bowl, mix together the oats, the remaining sugar and the flour. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, remove from the heat then add the golden syrup and cream and mix well. Pour over the oat mixture and stir together. Spoon on top of the fruit, level out in a thin even layer about 1cm (½in) thick – try not to make it any thicker, or it may not cook through. Put the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and topping until is set and golden brown.
Cool for 10 minutes then serve with cream or vanilla ice cream.

* I replaced the self-raising flour for 1/3 cup (46g) all purpose flour + ¼ teaspoon baking powder + pinch of salt

Serves 2 or 1 very greedy and hungry person :)

Apple, berry, almond and chocolate crumble

Since almonds, berries and apple worked so beautifully in tart form, I could not wait to try this crumble: all those flavors combined without the need of making pastry – not that I don’t like making pastry, I actually enjoying it very much, but when the need for something sweet is urgent there’s no time for chilling pastry. :D

I was also very intrigued by the addition of chocolate to the crumble topping but have to say I don’t think it was a nice idea here: if you want to see it for yourself go ahead and try it, but when I make this crumble again it will be sans chocolate – and with more almonds to boot.

Apple, berry, almond and chocolate crumble
from the always glorious Delicious - Australia

1kg Granny Smith apples (about 5)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
200g frozen mixed berries
100g brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
200g marzipan, chopped – I used homemade
custard or ice cream to serve

Almond crumble:
200g unsalted butter, cold and chopped
250g all purpose flour
50g brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/3 cup almonds, chopped
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
75g dark chocolate, chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. For the crumble, place the butter and flour in a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips to form coarse crumbs. Using a fork, gently stir in the sugar, salt, almonds, cinnamon and chocolate. Set aside.
Peel and roughly chop the apples, then place in an 8-cup capacity ovenproof dish. Toss with lemon juice, then carefully stir in berries, sugar and ginger. Dot with marzipan then top with the crumble.
Place the dish on a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes until the topping is golden and the fruit is tender. Stand for five minutes, then spoon into bowls and serve with custard or ice cream.

Serves 6-8

Lemon crumble tart - and Pinterest

I’d like to start this post by telling you that I adore Pinterest: it’s a great way to keep track of interesting things and I usually find my morning humor dose there. Some of you have written to me asking me not to block my photos from being posted on Pinterest, and I tell you: I haven’t done that, and wouldn’t do it. I see no problem in my recipes getting pinned by you, much to the contrary. Therefore, I do not know what happened and why you’re no longer able to pin the photos – if anyone knows how to fix the problem I’m all ears. :)

***

This lemon tart is a variation of the easiest tart ever and despite not being equally easy – there’s a lemon curd to be made here – it’s just as delicious.

Lemon crumble tart
from the great The Grand Central Baking Book

Crust:
2 ½ cups (350g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (226g/2sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon curd:
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 3 lemons, divided use
4 egg yolks
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 25cm (10in) springform pan*.
Dough: whisk the flour and salt together. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until creamy and light in color. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, add the dry ingredients and stop mixing when the ingredients are fully incorporated but the dough is still crumbly – this happens quickly; don’t overmix, otherwise you’ll end up with a ball of dough. Set aside 1 cup of the dough and refrigerate. Sprinkle the remaining dough onto the prepared pan, distributing it evenly. Bring the dough slightly up the sides of the pan (to hold the lemon curd), then press it onto the pan to hold it in place. Prick the dough all over with a fork, then bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

While the crust bakes, make the lemon curd: combine the sugar, half the lemon zest and yolks in a heatproof bowl and whisk together immediately; if you delay, the mixture will coagulate. Put the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water whisk continuously until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice and, still whisking continuously, cook for about 5 minutes. Add the butter and salt, then use a spatula to stir constantly until the mixture has thickened, 6-7 minutes (is should be the consistency of sour cream).
Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in the remaining zest. Spoon the curd into the crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of dough over the curd.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The topping should be slightly brown, and the curd will begin to caramelize on top.
Cool slightly before unmolding.

* I made the exact recipe above using a shallow 24cm tart pan with a removable bottom; I used 1 ½ cups of dough for the topping.

Serves 8

Nectarine and blackberry crumble

Last time I posted a crumble recipe here I told you about one movie I loved watching as a kid – this past weekend I finally watched, from beginning to end with no interruptions, my husband’s favorite movie as a kid, “Stand by Me”; it amazes me how someone who directed this movie and “Misery” is also responsible for “Rumor Has It…” – that’s life, I guess. :)

To go with the subject above another crumble recipe – this time I’m using nectarines, which are in season here now.

Nectarine and blackberry crumble
adapted from the absolutely beautiful Tender, Volume 2

3 nectarines, pits removed, coarsely chopped
generous ½ cup blackberries – I used frozen, unthawed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon corn starch

Crumble topping:
½ cup (70g) all purpose flour
2 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ½ tablespoons (35g) unsalted butter, room temperature, chopped
2-3 tablespoons flaked almonds, lightly toasted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Have ready two 1-cup (240ml) capacity ovenproof ramekins or cups.
In a small bowl, mix the nectarines, blackberries, sugar and corn starch. Divide equally between the ramekins.
In a medium bowl, place flour, sugar and butter and, using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the flaked almonds and mix. Sprinkle over the fruit mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling.
Serve with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 2

Blueberry crumble and my love for crumbles

I’ve come to a conclusion: crumbles have become my favorite dessert. As much as I love ice cream and fruit tarts crumbles are now to me a synonym to feel-good-food. The flavors can vary from traditional to tropical, it doesn’t matter: crumbles make me happy. :)

I ate my first crumble in my late twenties and first made one myself in my early thirties, yet I feel that it could have easily become a childhood favorite had I been introduced to it earlier in life – it would have been perfect for all those afternoons watching "Seven Faces of Dr. Lao" over and over again. :D

Blueberry crumble
inspired by the gorgeous Tender, Volume 2: A Cook's Guide to the Fruit Garden

150g blueberries – I used frozen, unthawed
finely grated zest of ½ lemon
3 teaspoons granulated or caster (superfine) sugar
¼ teaspoon corn starch

Crumble topping:
1/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (50g) all purpose flour
2 ½ tablespoons (35g) unsalted butter, room temperature, chopped
1/3 cup (33g) almond meal (finely ground almonds)
2 ½ tablespoons granulated or caster (superfine) sugar

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Have ready two 200ml capacity ovenproof ramekins or cups.
In a small bowl, mix the blueberries, lemon zest, sugar and corn starch. Divide equally between the ramekins.
In a medium bowl, place flour and butter and, using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the almond meal and sugar and mix. Sprinkle over the blueberries and bake for 30 minutes or until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling.
Serve with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 2 – but I must confess that I ate both ramekins myself. ;)

Banana crumble

I was watching “Law & Order” the other day and felt like eating something sweet (like that’s something unusual). :) But the episode was really interesting – no Linus, which is bad, but Benjamin, which is good – and I wanted something fast to get back to the couch as soon as possible. The result was this crumble, ridiculously simple and oh, so delicious – and that smells and tastes like banana tart without all the work.

Banana crumble
inspired by the always wonderful Modern Classics 2

½ cup (70g) all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 ½ tablespoons superfine sugar
1 ½ tablespoons demerara sugar
pinch of ground cinnamon, or to taste
¼ cup (28g) rolled oats
50g unsalted butter, cold and chopped
2 bananas

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Slice the bananas and divide them equally among two lightly buttered 1 cup (240ml) capacity ovenproof bowls. Set aside.
Place flour, salt, sugars, cinnamon and oats in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the bananas mixture and bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
Serve with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 2

Cherry crumble

Happy New Year everyone!

After a month it’s time to (reluctantly) get back to work – I could definitely use a couple more weeks of vacation… *sigh*

If you, like me, need a boost to get back to work I highly recommend this dessert. :)

Cherry crumble
adapted from here

320g fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons demerara sugar

Topping:
½ cup (70g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 ½ tablespoons (35g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons demerara sugar

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Put the flour and baking powder into a bowl and rub in the cubes of butter, using your fingers until you have a mixture like coarse sand. Stir in the sugar. Refrigerate while you get on with the fruit.
Mix the cherries with the lemon zest, juice and sugar and divide among two 1-cup (240ml) capacity ovenproof ramekins.
Sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit, place the ramekins in a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling.

Serves 2

Rhubarb and vanilla crumble

If you read this post the fact that I burned my tongue eating this crumble will come as no surprise. :D

I made the crumble before the tartlets, and my curiosity for the rhubarb flavor would not be stopped by a piping hot bowl of dessert, right?

Just so you know it, it was all worth it. :D

Rhubarb and vanilla crumble
from Simple Essentials Fruit

850g rhubarb, trimmed and chopped
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (162g) demerara sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped with the back of a knife

Topping:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (78g) caster sugar
100g unsalted butter, cold and chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Combine the rhubarb, sugar and vanilla bean and seeds in a bowl. Transfer to a 6-cup (1.5l) capacity ovenproof dish. To make the topping, combine the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and rub with your fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pile the mixture on top of the fruit and bake for 50 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit is soft.

Serves 4 – I made 1/3 of the recipe above and used a 2 ½ cup (600ml) capacity bowl

Apple and passion fruit crumble

Are you tired of my apple recipes yet? :)

I know I’ve been using apples like crazy lately, and must confess that I still intend to make a couple of recipes with them before the end of their season.
Let me tell you one delicious thing I found out the other day: I never knew apples and passion fruit were so good together. Luckily, Bill did. :)

Apple and passion fruit crumble

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced – I used Gala
½ cup (100g) caster sugar
pulp from 8 passion fruit*

Topping:
1 cup (115g) rolled oats
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (129g) brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup (46g) all purpose flour
100g unsalted butter, softened
vanilla ice cream or heavy cream, to serve – yogurt goes really well, too

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter a 2-liter baking dish. Mix together the apples, sugar and passion fruit pulp and put in the dish.

Using your fingertips, rub together the oats, brown sugar, flour and butter to make a crumbly topping. Sprinkle over the fruit and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.
Serve with ice cream, cream or yogurt.

* the passion fruit I used were huge (there’s a photo here), so 4 were enough

Serves 4

Vanilla and macadamia crumble mini cheesecakes

Let me start today’s post by ashamedly confessing that I doubted Donna Hay. I did, I must admit it. I made these cheesecakes and they looked so cute in the oven, I thought that adding the crumble topping would ruin them. But I’d already melted the butter, so I carried on with the recipe.
The topping is delicious and goes perfectly well with the smooth, creamy cheesecakes.

Donna, my dear, I will never doubt you again. :)

Vanilla and macadamia crumble mini cheesecakes
from Donna Hay magazine

370g ricotta
300g cream cheese
1 1/3 cups (267g) caster sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Base:
125g digestive/shortbread cookies
½ cup (50g) almond meal (ground almonds)
45g unsalted butter, melted

Crumble topping:
100g digestive/shortbread cookies
½ cup (70g) unsalted macadamias
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
50g unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 140°C/285°F.
Make the base: process cookies in a food processor until crushed. Add the almond meal and butter and process until combined. Grease a round 22cm springform pan and line the base with baking paper. Press the crumb mix over the base and refrigerate (I left it in the fridge overnight).
Place the ricotta and cream cheese, in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and process until combined and smooth. Pour the mixture over the base and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until set.
In the meantime, make the crumble topping: place the cookies, macadamias, vanilla, sugar and butter in a food processor and process until roughly chopped.
After baking the cheesecake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, top it with the crumble mixture and bake for a further 10 minutes or until top is golden. Allow to cool in the pan, then serve.

Serves 8-10 – I halved the recipe above, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity mini pans (with removable bottoms) and got 9 mini cheesecakes (baked for 25 minutes, pans only buttered, I did not line the bases with paper)

Strawberry crumble

This cold weather makes me crave hearty, comforting food, both savory and sweet. On the savory side soups get all my attention, but when it comes to sweet recipes crumbles are THE winter dessert to me – I could easily have one a day. :)

This delicious crumble comes from Valentina’s fabulous blog – and just so you know it, I’m just getting started on strawberry recipes around here. :)

Strawberry crumble

185g strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon caster sugar
½ tablespoon lemon juice – I used lime
3 ½ tablespoons (49g) cold unsalted butter, chopped
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (80g) all purpose flour
3 ½ tablespoons (42g) caster sugar
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Butter two 1-cup capacity ovenproof bowls and divide the strawberries among them. Sprinkle each with ½ tablespoon sugar and drizzle with the lemon juice.
Place the butter, flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl and, using your fingertips, rub them together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the strawberries, place the bowls on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.
Serve warm with cream or yogurt.

Serves 2

Fruit crumble cake and a big thank you

The list of the Saveur’s Food Blog Awards’ winners has been published – congratulations to all the winners!

Technicolor Kitchen did not win as best baking and desserts blog but I want to thank you all for your votes and support – I deeply appreciate it. And I’d also like to tell you that award or no award the sweet recipes will continue to flow around here – like this delicious and tender crumble cake.

Fruit crumble cake
adapted from Modern Classics 2

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (184g) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups + ½ tablespoon (272g) caster sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (337g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
¼ cup (60ml) whole milk
5 plums, stoned and thinly sliced
5 apricots, stoned and thinly sliced
caster sugar, extra, for sprinkling

Crumble topping:
1/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (51g) all purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
2 ½ tablespoons (35g) cold unsalted butter, chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking pan and line with baking paper – butter the paper as well.
Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture, add the milk and beat in low speed until combined. Spoon the mixture onto prepared pan, arrange the fruit over the top and sprinkle with the extra sugar.
To make the crumble topping, place the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and rub with your fingertips until fine crumbs form. Scatter over the fruit.
Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Serves 10 – I made 2/3 of the recipe above, used a 20cm square pan and replaced the plums and apricots for 2 nectarines and 270g frozen cherries (thawed)

Peach, raspberry and almond crumble

I’ve read that Viggo Mortensen will be playing Sigmund Freud on David Cronenberg’s next movie – such great news. I love both gentlemen working separately, but together they’re even more wonderful.

Here’s another great pairing: peaches and raspberries. It was my first time trying them together, but certainly won’t be the last.

Peach, raspberry and almond crumble
adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

300g peaches (about 2)
45g frozen raspberries
1 ½ tablespoons demerara sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Almond crumble:
2/3 cup (93g) all purpose flour
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (70g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1cm pieces
3 ½ tablespoons demerara sugar
1 ½ tablespoons flaked almonds

For almond crumble, preheat oven to 200°C/392°F. Combine flour and butter in a medium bowl and rub with your fingertips until fine crumbs form. Add sugar and almonds, mix to combine and set aside.

Cut peaches into wedges and combine with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Divide among two 1 cup (240ml) capacity ovenproof baking dishes, top with almond crumble and bake until golden brown (25-30 minutes). Serve immediately with double cream or ice-cream.

Serves 2