Red, White & Blue Crumble

Crumble, Crisp, whatever you call it, I call it tasty! Crumbles are perfect especially when feeding a crowd. They are easily prepared in advance and in large quantities. Great for a potluck buffet or your own picnic spread.

I'd argue the crispy, crumbly top is the most important component of this dessert. So I like to go pretty heavy handed with the topping. But I suppose one must also serve a bit of fruit underneath. Any combination of some frozen fruits - berries, cherries, peaches - makes for easy baking. Being that is it summer time, I opted for fresh blueberries and strawberries since they were looking so tasty at the store the other day.

For a bit of decorative flare for my Fourth of July table, I scattered red, white and blue sprinkles over the top of the crumble before baking. This is 100% optional, but festive.

This Red, White & Blue Crumble was made complete with a scoop of velvety, vanilla ice cream. You can swap for whipped cream, but the fact of the matter is you should top this dessert with some kind of sweet creamy goodness.

Red White & Blue Crumble

Ingredients

For the filling

· 3 cups blueberries

· ½ cup sugar

· ¼ cup tapioca flour

· ½ tsp cinnamon

· 1/8 tsp salt

· Zest of an orange

· 1 tbsp orange juice

· 3 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped

For the crumble

· 2/3 cup flour

· 3 tbsp sugar

· 1/8 tsp salt

· 4 tbsp butter, cubed and chilled

· ½ tsp vanilla

· ¼ tsp almond extract

· 1 egg white

· 2 tbsp brown sugar

· 4 tbsp pecans, chopped

· ¼ cup rolled oats (not instant)

For the filling… Add 1 cups of blueberries to a large mixing bowl. Mash berries with a fork. Add sugar, tapioca flour, cinnamon, salt, orange zest and juice. Stir until the sugar and tapioca flour dissolve. Stir in 2 cup of whole blueberries and the strawberries. Set to the side for at least 15 minutes to allow the filling to thicken.

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 2.5qt baking dish.

For the crumble… Add the flour, sugar, salt and butter to a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture. Continue until the butter resembles small peas in the flour. Add the extracts and egg white. Stir until all flour is moistened. Add the brown sugar, pecans, and oats. Stir to combine. Using your hands, form clumps of the mixture into a crumble-like texture.

Pour the berries into the prepared pan. Scatter the crumble over the top of the fruit in a thick layer.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crumble top is crisp and golden brown.

Serve warm or at room temperature and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Serves 8

Notes

If using frozen blueberries, defrost 1 cup to make for easy mashing. Either bring to room temperature on the counter a couple hours before making this recipe, or zap in the microwave for 1 minute or so.

If you do not have tapioca flour, substitute flour.

GF Friendly

Gluten Free Friendly!

Substitute the flour for Better Batter GF flour. Also ensure your oats and pecans are GF.