Peach and Blueberry Crumbles

I adore peaches, but I am pretty much the worst when it comes to shopping for them. I always wind up bringing underripe (read: rock hard) peaches home and so I toss them on the counter and wait for them to ripen. Then, inevitably, I forget to check on them until they’re bordering on overripe. At that point it becomes a race against the clock to find a way to use them before they end up in the garbage. It’s a race I’ve lost more times than I care to admit. So, after buying way too many peaches when I was shopping for the ingredients for yesterday’s peach lemonade, I was determined not to make the same mistake again.

It just so happened I also had some blueberries in the fridge that were on their last leg, and a quick Google search turned up these peach and blueberry crumbles which not only sounded delicious, but were super easy to throw together. I love making individually portioned desserts, especially when, as here, it’s something Shane won’t help me eat. I would normally top a fruit crumble with vanilla ice cream, but I had lemon ice cream in my freezer so I gave that a try instead. The combo was amazing – sweet, tangy and juicy. The crumbles were equally good warm from the oven and at room temperature the next day.

I only baked a few off initially, throwing the rest in the freezer for another time. I plan to pull one out to enjoy tonight while I watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. I can’t wait!!

In unrelated, but super exciting to me news, my tomato plant is finally sprouting tomatoes! It’s had flowers for weeks and weeks, and I was starting to think that’s all I’d ever see, but yesterday I found 7 or 8 tiny tomatoes like this one starting to grow. More and more, I’m understanding how much fun it’d be to have a garden in our yard and I think I might finally take the plunge next year 🙂

Peach and Blueberry Crumbles
barely adapted from Ina Garten (via FoodNetwork.com)

{Note: the recipe originally called for peeling the peaches. I didn’t bother, but feel free if you don’t want the peels in your dessert.}

Fruit
1 lb firm, ripe peaches (about 3-4)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Crumble
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/6 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Slice the peaches into thick wedges and place in a medium bowl. Add the lemon zest, juice, sugar and flour and stir to coat. Gently mix in the blueberries, then allow the mixture to sit for at least 5 minutes. Divide the fruit mixture between several small ramekins (I used 4).

To make the topping: Add the flour, both sugars, salt, and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low to combine. Add the butter and beat on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs – the pieces of butter should be about the size of peas. Grab handfuls of the crumble and squeeze to form big chunks, and sprinkle over the fruit. Don’t be afraid to fill the ramekins – they’ll bake down in the oven so you can fill them to the top.

Place the ramekins on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the crumble topping has browned, and the juices are bubbling up the sides. Serve topped with a scoop of ice cream.

{You can make these ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.}