Crisps, Cobblers, and Crumbles
oh my!
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I’ve admitted my disdain for making pie crust many times before. Don’t get me wrong, I will make pie crust (how else would I make Pizza Piena?), but if you give me the choice between rolling out dough and pressing crushed cookies into a pan, I’m reaching for the graham crackers, Oreos, or shortbread every single time.
Hats off to anyone who consistently turns out a beautiful, flaky pie crust. I admire you. I am simply not one of you.
The funny thing is, I don’t even gravitate toward fruit pie in the first place. I’ll happily eat a slice if it’s in front of me, of course, but given the choice, I’m almost always reaching for a crisp or a crumble instead (but first, chocolate if I’m really being honest).
Crisps/crumbles are warm, buttery, and spoonable, which I love. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and I’m one happy gal.
There are many varieties of scoop-able baked fruit. Here’s a quick refresher:
Crisp: A crunchy, streusel topping typically made of oats and nuts.
Crumble: Similar to a crisp, but it contains no oats or nuts.
Cobbler: This is more of a drop biscuit topping. The reason it’s called a cobbler is because it looks like cobblestones. Cute, right?
Grunt / Slump / Buckle: Buckles are fruit cakes with a streusel topping that “buckles” or sinks as the cake rises; grunts (also known as slumps) are called that because you grunt when you eat them or slump over because you’re so full. Just kidding! but it would checkout given the whole cobbler / buckle name reasoning.
When I used to be a private chef, the fruit crisp was one of the go-to summer desserts I’d make for my clients. I would cook the filling and make the topping ahead of time and freeze them both separately, then top the filling with the topping and bake it until golden and bubbling. It was a hit every time, and a great way for me to use up fresh fruit before the weekend was over.
I recently went blueberry picking with my cousins in New Jersey and came home with over 2 pounds of berries (we picked almost 36 pounds between 5 of us). I made blueberry syrup, blueberry pancakes (video coming to YouTube soon!), and blueberry crumble. Recipe below for the crumble.
You can use any fruit or combination you’d like. Peaches and blueberries are one of my favorite summer pairings, so I did that. Sweet, floral peaches get a boost from the blueberries' tart, jammy flavor, making the filling taste brighter, fruitier, and just a little more interesting than either fruit would on its own.
Recipe below! Thanks again for being here. You’re the best.
Blueberry and Peach Crumble Recipe
Serves: 1 to 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
