‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹ The truth is, I love a crumble almost as much as a pie. I love those tiny bubbles that spatter up around the edges. And how the top stays crunchy and the centre soft. So, when Kimberley suggested crumble as her favourite over pie, I was totally on board. Her blog is one of those places I'm always come back to. It's genuine in a way that makes you feel like you could breeze in her back door for a cup of soup. For a good long chat about vegetables and markets and just about whatever else. Her instagram is that kinda place too, genuine and interesting. And beautiful too. And well, I figure that anyone that likes a rice cooker as much as I do is someone I'm meant to be friends with. So, with no further ado Kimberley and Leela's Peach and Berry Gingersnap Crumble. Find the recipe and a little more about the two of them below. xo, n
FOR THE LOVE OF PIE — a series that celebrates the simple things.
WHO?
Me and my sweet pal Leela Cyd.
WHAT? I loved the challenge of this because I am both gluten free and terrible at making pie crust! My summer go-to fresh fruit desserts have always been crisp or crumble. And it was so much fun to collaborate with Leela - I am a total believer in the whole being greater than than its parts and that's very much the case here. Leela had made a crumble before with a cookie topping; I had originally considered a pressed ginger snap crust but I loved her idea, and the results: a crunchy, sweet and salty cookie topping and the fresh, jammy fruit beneath.
Plus we had so much fun picking blackberries together and happily fatigued in her hot kitchen - it was a scorcher of a day in Portland! And we realized why smart grandmas back in the day would make their pie early, before it got too hot to turn on the oven. Lesson learned! When it was finally done, and photographer, we stood in the kitchen spooning butes of warm crumble and cold ice cream with her husband and sister-in-law and sweet baby nephew and it was heavenly.
WHERE?
I live in San Francisco, but stopped to visit Leela in Portland, Oregon on my way to Montana. We went to the lovely Sauvie Isalnd to pick blackberries, and picked up the peaches at a farm stand there. I got the blueberries the day before with Camille Storch in Corvallis, Oregon.
This crumble would be perfect on a warm afternoon or evening, outdoors ideally, with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.
WHY? I adore fresh summer fruit more than almost anything, and crisps and crumbles perfectly encapsulate everything wonderful about summer fruit without a lot of fuss.
ONE OR TWO THINGS
I have a huge obsession with mountains and those in northwestern Montana are my favorite. There are grizzly bears, elk, moose and all kinds of other crazy wildlife, not to mention all kinds of interesting, slightly wild, people too. It's the place where I forget one part of me in order to remember a more essential part of me. I like to think of this place as my spirit animal.
PEACH AND BERRY GINGERSNAP CRUMBLE Yield: about 6-8 mini crumbles or one large crumble
FOR THE FILLING
2 cups blueberries
2 cups blackberries
2 ripe yellow peaches, pits removed and diced
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon cornstarch
FOR THE TOPPING
3 cups Mi-del ginger snaps
1 cup oats
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
2 tablespoons brown sugar1 heaping tablespoon crystallized ginger, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the berries, peaches, sugar, lemon juice and spices. Whisk in the cornstarch and stir until blended. Spoon fruit mixture into small (4-6 ounce) containers of choice (oven-safe tea cups, small mason jars or ramekins work great)
In another large bowl, crush cookies with a fork (or your fingers!) so that they are about half-way mashed, leaving a few big cookie chunks. Stir in remaining dry ingredients. Add the melted butter to the dry mix and combine. You may have a small bag leftover with this recipe. It keeps well in the freezer for up to a month - this way you can have impromptu ginger crumble whenever fruit is ripe.
Generously top each crumble with the cookie mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling at the edges. Let cool for five minutes. Best served with some goat milk ice cream!
Photos & Styling: Kimberley Hasselbrink