Peach-Blueberry Crumble and a Thank You

We were going over to my parents’ house for dinner this week, and I offered to bring dessert because there was a recipe I’ve been wanting to try ever since I saw it on the Cooking Classy blog.  It is a recipe for peach and blueberry crumble.  After I peeled the peaches and mixed in the blueberries, the colors were so beautiful, I was already in awe of this dish, and I hadn’t even tasted it yet.

About that time my husband walked in the kitchen.  I started going on and on about the peaches and blueberries, and their color, and what good peaches they were, and how delicious this recipe looked.  He began to get a smile on his face.  It was that kind of smile that says, you are so funny when you start talking about food, maybe even a little crazy, but I love you anyways.  He grabbed me as I was talking and started to dance me around the room, supposedly because he was also so happy about the recipe when in reality he was just making fun of me. He made me laugh, as he usually does, and then I shooed him out of the kitchen.  But the truth is, some recipes really do make me want to dance or sing or shout from the rooftops.

And it got me to thinking about all of you who either have cooking blogs or follow cooking blogs, and I realized how thankful I am for you!  If you had entered the kitchen when I was going on and on about this recipe, you would have understood!  You would have rejoiced with me over the deep blue colors of the blueberries offset by the sunset orange of the peaches.  We could have discussed whether we like big pieces of crumble or little pieces about the size of peas, and none of you would have thought I was weird because I think about it.  Over a cup of tea or coffee, we could talk about how we might change the recipe to make it better (although I don’t want to change this recipe at all unless it was to double the crumble, because you all know how I feel about crumble).  When I read your food blogs, or your comments, and the things you talk about, you make me feel just a little more normal.  And for that, I want to thank you.  I wish I could meet those of you I don’t know, those of you who also want to dance a jig when you find a really good recipe.  But please know how much you are appreciated, how much you mean to me, and how much your comments make my day.

And by the way, this recipe will totally make you want to dance.  It is one of the best recipes I have ever tried.  I am so thankful to Ina Garten where it originally came from, and Cooking Classy who called my attention to it and made a few changes that in my opinion made it perfect. In closing, I just have one question for you. How do you like your crumble – in big pieces or smaller, about the size of small peas?

Recipe from Cookingclassy.com

PEACH AND BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE

• 2 lbs. firm, ripe peaches (about 6 – 8 peaches)
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 c fresh blueberries

Crumble Topping:

• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1/3 c granulated sugar
• 1/4 c packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 6 Tbsp. butter, cold and diced into cubes
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
3. Fill a large mixing bowl with ice water.
4. Carefully drop peaches in boiling water and allow to boil 30 seconds – 1 minute, just until their skin easily peels off.  Immediately transfer peaches to cold water.
5. Peel peaches and slice into thick wedges (about 3 slices per half a peach).
6. Place sliced peaches in a large mixing bowl along with lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 c granulated sugar, 1/4 c flour, and a pinch of salt.  Toss mixture to evenly coat.
7. Fold in blueberries and pour mixture into a tart pan or an 8 by 8-inch baking dish or several small cast iron skillets.  Set aside while you prepare topping.

To Prepare Topping:

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer with the wire attachment, combine 1 c flour, 1/3 c granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla. (You can also do this with a food processor or by hand).  Mix ingredients until mixture is thoroughly mixed and butter is evenly distributed and in very small pieces.
2. Press mixture into crumbles with your fingertips and sprinkle evenly over top of peach mixture.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 – 50 minutes, depending on the size of your pan, until top is nicely browned. (I used a large tart pan and 35 minutes was perfect).
4. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream if desired.  It is also good cold.

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