Summer Blueberry Crumble

BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE

August 2023

When it comes to summer desserts, there’s nothing quite like a good berry crumble. For me, it’s all about blueberries. Growing up, I remember spending summers picking blueberries at my grandparents’ house. I’d eagerly anticipate them ripening, and stain my fingers purple picking the juiciest fruit off the stems. Here’s everything you’ll need:

What’s the difference between a crumble and a crisp? It’s all in the topping. A crumble is an easy combination of sugar, flour and butter, while a crisp can include oats and nuts. In this crumble, I’m adding a greater-than-usual amount of brown sugar to bring in a nutty caramel depth to the topping.

Crumble topping is best made by hand, but I like to give it a quick head start in the food processor. Pulse together the flour, softened cubed salted butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and granulated sugar. With just a few quick pulses, you’ll cut in the butter. Remove the mixture from the food processor and work it with your hands until the flour and sugar are all evenly incorporated and you have a pebbly texture.

What’s the difference between a crumble and a crisp? It’s all in the topping. A crumble is an easy combination of sugar, flour and butter, while a crisp can include oats and nuts.

For the filling, you’ll need about six cups of berries, or three dry pints. Stir in the sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

Mound the berries into a six cup baking dish -- an 8”x8” or 9” oval will be just fine. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top, and don’t be shy with it. (If you have left over crumble topping, it can go right in the freezer for the next time.)

Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes at 350° until the top is golden brown and the berries are bubbling up through the crumble. Since there’s quite a bit of brown sugar in the topping, you’ll want to keep a close eye at the end of cooking. If it’s browning more than it should, shield the topping with a bit of aluminum foil until it finishes cooking.

And there you have it, a delicious and easy summer dessert that might just bring back some of your own nostalgic memories of warm, sunny and carefree days.

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SUMMER BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE

Season: Summer

Serves: 4-6

CRUMBLE Ingredients

1½ cups all purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon

1½ sticks chilled salted butter

FILLING INGREDIENTS

6 cups blueberries (3 dry pints)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp lemon juice

Pinch salt

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a food processor, pulse together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon until the butter is “cut in” and well distributed. Remove it from the food processor and bring it together by hand, until it’s a pebble consistency, and not sandy.

In a bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir until all the berries are coated.

Pour the berries into a six-cup baking dish (8”x8” or 9” oval), mounding at the center. Cover generously with the crumble topping all the way to the edges. If you have any topping left over, freeze it to use another day.

Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet or layer of aluminum foil to catch any bubble overs or drips.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the topping begins to be golden brown and the berries are juicy. If the topping begins to get too dark, shield loosely with foil until the filling is done.

Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe notes: Unless otherwise indicated, all recipes are developed with Kerrygold salted butter and Diamond Kosher salt. If you prefer to use unsalted butter, adjust the seasoning to your taste. If you use table salt, decrease recommended quantities of salt by around half.