There is a bountiful assortment of fruits and vegetables that have graced the shelves at the grocery store. Voluptuous berries of all kinds – blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries – are at their peak during the summer months. Peaches and plums are juicier and sweeter than ever before. And the tomato and corn… I just can’t get enough!
When it comes to the fruits of the season, I find just as much joy in eating them as is than I do cooked. But if the opportunity comes up to prepare a dish with such fabulous ingredients, I can’t resist.
The key to summer cooking is rusticity. You want each component of the recipe, especially those gems coming from the Earth, to shine. And berries need no help in this department. A sprinkle of sugar, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a crisp buttery topping.
It’s the simplest dessert recipe in the world… one that anyone can make… and it will make you shudder with pleasure.
Before leaving you with this crumble recipe, I wanted to thank everyone for their kind comments on my photography post. We’re all in this whole thing together… we’re constantly learning and developing our style.
A great resource that I wanted to bring to your attention are some posts from my friend Sylvie at Gourmande in the Kitchen. She is working on a series of entries on photography and her first two are up:
Part 1: Learning the Visual Elements of Design
Part 2: The Principles of Design
Both are very useful posts that I think you will all enjoy.
Plum and Berry Crumble
Ingredients
1 pint blackberries or black raspberries (I’ve tried this with both and their equally delicious)
1 pint blueberries
5 plums, cut in half, pitted and then cut into 1 inch pieces
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Using 1 tablespoon of butter or cooking spray, grease a 9 inch glass pie plate.
Place the berries and plums into a large bowl, toss with 1/4 cup sugar and spread across the pie plate. Drizzle the lemon juice over fruit.
In another bowl, add the remaining dry ingredients. Using a fork, mix the topping ingredients while drizzling the butter in, until it begins to come together. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit and pat it down until it has completely covered the pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top has turned a slightly golden-brown. Serve warm with ice cream.
My first reaction to that first picture? I want to slurp that berry juice on the bottom of the pan. Ahem. I will behave, I promise! Looks gorgeous and I agree, amazing ingredients and so fresh like these berries and plums need nothing but a slight nudge. You my dear, are a good nudger!
Oh i love crumble! I could come over right now just for this!! Yummy clicks brian.
You know, people just don’t BAKE with plums enough. We have an incredible plum cake we like to make and it always get rave reviews.
“rusticity” – love that! I’m totally using that from now on, that’s exactly the type of cooking I love to do.
Amazing crumble Brian. Looks just perfect for summer.
This crumble looks so delicious, I love the combination of plums and berries!
I wish someone would bake me a pie, Brian! Berries never make the door here. If a bowl gets past the kitchen sink, it’s a mystery. That means I do not grow enough.
Gorgeous photography as usual, and I have reading up to do here. Thanks for sharing!
Warm fruit crumble with ice cream is one of the most heavenly desserts ever. In the second photo, are those blackberries or black raspberries?
Um… truly drooling. That is a beautiful dessert…love the combo of plums and berries.
incredible! I love this post!
This is absolutely gorgeous. Truly, truly gorgeous.
There is nothing better than fruits that are in-season and grown locally. Taking those fruits with all that flavour and juiciness and putting it into a dessert like this means it’s gotta be great. It definitely looks that way.
I bet this would disappear at summer gatherings! Looks incredible.
So gorgeous! I love the photos, and the crumble looks incredible. I’ve always had a fascination with this sort of homespun and authentic dessert, and your post reminds me that I need to make them more often. I’m inspired! xo
Oh Wow!! looks sooo good!!
I am in total awe of your food photography skills, my mouth is watering, how do you do it! Well done, you are now bookmarked for LIFE!
I have shared your blog with other innkeeper so they too can drool.
Shellie at The Claiborne House B&B in Rocky Mount, VA
Oh I wish I had this to go with my coffee as I sit here looking at some ratty plums on the counter. Guess where they will be going tonight!
While I contemplate Cheerios or Special K this is almost torture. Um um good.
Beautiful, as always. I love pie, but I find crumbles are always more my speed. I tend to enjoy the filling more than the crust!
Just beautiful… I want!
This crumble is gorgeous. This is definitely one of my favorite things to make with fruit… I love crumbles more than pies!
summer perfection for sure Brian – i’ll take a bowl . . . or two . . .
Mmm screams summer!! Nice and love the links I will look at them later today when I got amoment!
Beautiful post! I love your pics and need to try your recipe. Thanks for the photography post suggestions.
Wishing you happy summer with lots of berries all around
This looks great! Plums are so seldom seen in Summer cooking; nice to find a good recipe using them
Mmnnnnn . . . I LOVES me some crumble. It makes shudder with delight and makes me want to shutter the windows so that no one else can see what I am eating.
Cada día estoy temblando, temblando. Sin embargo, Nunca he probado encofrar antes, no estoy seguro de cómo se siente.
You crack me up! Thanks Andy!
I adore crumbles and I love how you changed it up with some different fruits.
Your crumble is gorgeous! The color is beautiful! And I love the combination of fruit that you used! Oh…and I bet it is as delicious as it is pretty! : )
Beautiful pictures – love them. Love blackberries. Love crumble. Oh and thanks for the links to the Gourmande in the Kitchen.
I love that shot of the black raspberries. Gorgeous! And what a scrumptious looking crumble.
Your plum and berry crumble looks amazing and your photos – I could just jump into them! Beautiful…and buzzed!
That looks so juicy and crispy! I want to have the sweet, sugary berry syrup right now!!!
These pictures look so amazingly good!
Truly stunning photos, and what a gorgeous recipe too. You have a wonderful blog indeed
I’ve never loved pie. I cannot learn to like the crust, but I love how those dessert is constructed. All of the best parts of pie, sans crust. I love crumbles
excited to try this one. Its not intimidating at all!
This looks SO delicious! And the pics are great.
Those images just make me feel like I’m back home as a kid pulling up a chair to have some pie. Beautiful!
Oh I agree, it is so easy to make ripe summer fruit shine and you sure so in this beautiful crumble. Love those almonds and oats in the topping.
may i have a straw pleeeez? wow. like wow. nostalgia lane. why don’t i bake like this? Now I’m gonna! thx for the kick in the butt.
hey, p.s. thanks for taking the time to post those helpful links.
xo
This is the best post on any food blog. I want to stand behind Nelly and when she’s done licking the juice I’ll eat the rest.
When I reincarnate I want to come back with your talents.
Oh my goodness this crumble looks soooooo good. If I wasn’t allergic to plums, I’d eat the entire crumble.
The crumble looks so tempting! I like the use of a mix of stone fruit and berry!
Gorgeous! Especially gorgeous. There is nothing I love more than a crumble or a crisp in the summer. Especially when it combines stone fruits and berries. Other than that, I’m with you in loving fruit in its simplest form best.
Your site is food porn. Truly. You get better and better with each passing month! I’m just drooling right now. I love the thought of these berries…Thank you for sharing with me tonight. I hope you have a beautiful Sunday full of laughter, love and more good food! Hugs from Austin!
Great photographs as always. And the crumble is like capturing summer in a dish.
We love to make crisp too,especially with the wild Blackberries harvested on our property here in Seattle. Looking forward to trying yours. On a side note, I took a food photography class from Andrew Scrivani from NYT. I think you might enjoy a few of his talking points on pursuing your food photography career. The pictures in the post are ones I took during the workshop with delectable food provided by some of the best restaurants in town! Enjoy! http://speckleofdirt.com/?p=1011
I was with Monet this weekend and we were talking about how beautiful your photos are.. what a lovely looking dessert. I actually haven’t done anything with plums yet, but I’m highly rethinking it now!
Crumbles and crisps are my favorite summer desserts, probably because they are perfect vehicles for ice cream. Perhaps this is what I will make when I finally get my oven installed
Just giggling at Andy…too funny! This looks amazing and I too would shutter myself inside to eat the whole thing!:)
I with you on berries needing very little. They are actually my favorite fruit, so I kinda go wild when they are in season.
This looks fantastic, Brian!
What a lovely dish… And, stunning photos. I especially love the photo of the berries in the blue carton.
You are right – a crumble is the simplest and most delicious dessert there is – if we have unexpected guests and I need a quick dessert, they almost ALWAYS get a fruit crumble. Yours sounds delish!