Pear-Blackberry Crumble with Chocolate-Oat Topping
To me, fruit crumbles are one of the highlights of the warmer months and is a great way to take ripe, sweet, delicious summertime fruit and elevate them to a different level, not that the fruit needs any sort of elevation.
Today, I’m going to share my tips on how to make a delicious crumble that, once you know how to make it, can apply to just about any fruit that you like, be it peaches, apples, blueberries, cherries, or just about any fruit that grows under the sun. Today’s crumble in question will feature wonderful pears and blackberries, then will be topped with a chocolate-oat crumble for a wide variety of flavors and textures.
I will also be adding a touch of whole wheat flour to my crumble mixture, not so much to make it a healthy recipe, but more to give the topping even more texture.
How to make a great crumble
Crumbles might be one of, if not, the easiest and most versatile baked dessert one could possibly make. By the way, a crumble has the fruit topped with a crumb mixture while a cobbler is often topped with some kind of stiff dough, often biscuit dough. The beauty of crumbles is that there’s only a few things you need to keep in mind to make it great.
For bakeware, a cast iron skillet would certainly give you that rustic homestyle appeal, but the crumble can be baked in a regular baking pan, casserole dish, or divided into ramekins for more of an individual portion.
Whatever fruit you select, make sure that it is as ripe as possible, and maybe even a bit over-ripe, as the riper the fruit, the sweeter and more flavorful they will be.
Coating the fruit in some type of starch like cornstarch or even just flour will help some of the juice that the fruit will release during baking to get absorbed and turned into a nice jam texture as opposed to fruit soup.
Adding other flavor ingredients to the fruit such as cinnamon, mint, vanilla or lemon zest is a nice thing to do, but be careful not to overdo it as you want the natural flavors of the fruit to be the star.
When it comes to that crumble topping, be careful not to over-mix as doing so would develop gluten and lead to a tougher topping.
Of course you want to spread the fruit and topping into an even layer, but don’t get too hung up on appearances. It’s a crumble, it’s meant to look rustic, what matters most is that it tastes great!
The world of crumbles is your oyster, so don’t be afraid to experiment with it and make a delicious crumble recipe of your own. Ok then, onto the recipe!
Serves 6 to 8
Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes, plus cooling time
Difficulty: Easy
For the topping:
1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
For the Filling:
3 pounds ripe pears (about 6)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Unsalted butter, for greasing the skillet
8 ounces fresh blackberries (about 2 cups)
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F/190 C and butter a 9-inch cast iron skillet or other baking dish.
In a medium bowl, stir together both flours, the oats, brown sugar, and salt until combined. Add the melted butter, then stir until clumps begin to form, then stir in the chopped chocolate. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Remove the stems and peel the pears. Cut them in half lengthwise then use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds, or remove with a knife. Cut the pears into bite-sized chunks, keep in mind that they will shrink as they bake.
Toss the pears with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla and salt in a large bowl for about 5 minutes, or until the juices from the pears start to release. Spread half of the pear mixture into the prepared skillet followed by a scattering of half the blackberries, then repeat until you’ve used up all the fruit.
Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the filling, then bake until the top is golden and crisp and the fruit mixture is bubbly, it will take 55 minutes to 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Let the crumble cool for about an hour before serving with ice cream.
