Category: Crumb

Skillet-Baked Pear and Apple Crisp

4/21/2020

I've been on a huge skillet kick lately, and this seemed like the perfect way to get my apple pie fix the quick-and-easy way. It's not quite easy-peasy, but easy enough with the right tools - a food processor and a 12" skillet, which might seem humongous for a single family dessert, but with all the fruit spread out, is mostly just a single layer thick, so quite manageable for two evenings' worth of enjoyment!

Topping

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup pecans
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Filling

1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples—peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds firm Bartlett pears—peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Cognac
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350° and butter a 12-inch cast-iron skillet.
In a food processor, combine the sugar with the flour, pecans and cinnamon. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is fine. Transfer the topping to a bowl and press into clumps.
In a large bowl, combine the apples and pears with the currants, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, honey and Cognac and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Spread the fruit in the skillet and scatter the topping over the fruit.
Bake the crisp in the center of the oven for about 45 minutes (for firmer fruit, start checking around 30 minutes), until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is browned. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving with ice cream.

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Ricotta Almond Peach Crumble Cake

8/21/2018

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I first found this recipe in my inbox via the Tasting Table's newsletter. It seemed like a quick and easy experiment that would give me an excuse to play with the fruit of the season, and so I eked out a two hour period one night to throw this together.

This cake is proof that you can know a person for your whole life and still learn something new about them. I had no idea that my father didn't like peaches until I made this cake, and he asked me what it was and baldly stated when I told him, "Oh. I don't like peaches." Shock and horror on my part ensued.

But this cake was also the first part of a 2-part proof that my father could learn something new too - as in, he actually does like peaches. If they're included in the right way. He pretty much single-handedly finished off the entire thing. On top of that, he claimed that it actually became even better when it was stored in the fridge overnight - I suspect because the chill and the moisture helped to counter the natural mealy-texture of the almond flour. Not to mention that it was super-easy to make.

So, a win-win-win all around!

For the cake:

1/2 cup (1 stick) soft, unsalted butter
1_1/3 cups sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
3 eggs
1_1/2 cups ricotta
1_3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 fresh peaches, diced

For the crumb:

1_1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

The cake:

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and butter it or spray it with nonstick spray.
In a stand mixer or with a handheld beater, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest for 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, scrape down the bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in ricotta.
In separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt. In 2 to 3 batches, gently mix into butter mixture without overbeating. When fully combined, fold in peaches with a spatula.
Pour batter into prepared pan and set aside while making the crumb.

The crumb:

Combine cake flour, sugar and almonds in a bowl. Use your hands to mix together.
Pour in melted butter and gently toss until soft clumps form. Continue until no more flour is visible, and a crumble has formed with small and large crumbs.
Distribute crumble evenly over cake batter and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, rotating halfway. The cake is done when a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cake fully cool before removing from the pan and serving.

Note: The original crumb recipe called for 2 cups of flour, but I felt that 1) the crumb became an overwhelming layer and 2) the crumb really needed a long time to toast correctly. As it was, I was making the cake late at night, and it was already pushing 1:30 am and I decided to pull it out before the crumb layer was really done, even if the cake was already just right. So hopefully reducing the flour content helps with these two points.

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars

7/8/2015

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This was taken (with some very heavy adaptations) from an idea on Cooking.com. However, I found quite a few problems with the original recipe after eyeballing the ingredients, so I played around with the proportions just going by previous experience of what recipes for my rhubarb pie and other crumbles called for. In the end, the first attempt was probably a B+, but it wouldn't take much to get it into the A range on the second try!

Base and crumble topping:

8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
1.25 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Fruit mixture:

2 cups chopped rhubarb
1.5 cups chopped strawberries
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, blend the base ingredients together with a fork or your fingers until the butter is no longer visible and the mixture is loose and crumbly. Transfer about 3/4 of the mixture to the prepared pan. Use your fingers or a measuring cup to press the mixture into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
In another medium bowl, stir the rhubarb, strawberry, cornstarch and sugar together. Pour into the pan. Crumble the remaining base mixture on top of the fruit.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing into pieces.

Note: The flavors tend to take time to blend together. It will taste different the next day, but the crumble may not be as fresh and crispy due to the liquids in the center. So, it's best to enjoy it the day-of, but allow it time to sit and settle.

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Oat Streusel Topping (for muffins, cakes, etc)

4/9/2015

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This provided a FANTASTIC sweet, crunchy layer on top. Would definitely recommend on slightly "blander" muffins, such as carrot or other veggie-based flavors.

1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
1_1/4 cup + 1 tbsp (107 g) old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup + 3_1/2 tbsp (106 g) toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup + 2_1/2 tsp lightly packed (50 g) light brown sugar
2 tbsp + 1_1/4 tsp (29 g) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp (1.2 g) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (0.5 g) freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp (0.4 g) kosher salt
1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise or 1 tsp vanilla paste
4 oz (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" pieces

Combine all ingredients except the vanilla bean and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed to combine.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean or use the vanilla paste, add them to the dry mixture, and mix until evenly distributed.
Toss in the butter and mix for about 1 minute, or until the butter is incorporated with no large chunks remaining.
Transfer to a covered container or a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 monthy. Use the streusel while it is cold.

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ARCHIVE: Crumb Topping (for pies)

1/1/2015

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1/2 cup flour (I like to use white whole wheat)
1/2 cup sugar (I like to use half brown sugar, half regular sugar)
1/2 cup butter, cut into slices
1/2 cup rolled oats

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well blended.

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ARCHIVE: Raspberry Blackberry Crumb Pie

1/1/2015

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9" deep dish pie plate
a pie crust
4 6-ounce containers (1/2 pints) of raspberries
2 6-ounce containers of blackberries
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
zest of one lemon
one serving of a crumb topping

For the pie crust: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Roll out and press the pie dough into the pie plate. Crimp the edges if desired. Line the crust with a sheet of tin foil and place either pie weights or dried beans in the pie plate, making sure that they fill the entire bottom of the plate. Bake for 15 minutes.
Take the pie out of the oven, remove the tin foil and the pie weights. Place pie back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. If you see any large bubbles forming, spear it with a skewer. Remove from the oven.
For the filling: Gently blend all filling ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the filling into the baked pie shell. Crumble the crumb topping over the top.
Place a pie ring shield over the crust, and place the pie on a baking sheet to catch drips. REturn to the oven and bake for about 1 hour, until the topping is golden brown.

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Skillet-Baked Pear and Apple Crisp

Ricotta Almond Peach Crumble Cake

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Oat Streusel Topping (for muffins, cakes, etc)

ARCHIVE: Crumb Topping (for pies)

ARCHIVE: Raspberry Blackberry Crumb Pie

Sweet Enough

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