Peach & Cherry Crumble

I made this recipe for dessert last night, after a meal of ribeye that I seared then finished to medium-rare to medium on the grill, served with a red wine jus, and roasted potatos, made with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, and parsley. This was taken from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home. The original recipe calls for blueberries, but the kids ate the entire container, so I improvised and used cherries. It was awesome! :)  And sorry, no nutrition info for this one, but coming from Ina Garten, and loaded with all this butter and sugar, it ISN'T good for you! (So much for watching my calories).

Peach & Cherry Crumbles

Prep time: 25 min ~ Cook time: 45 minutes 

Serves 5 to 6

For the fruit:

2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8 peaches)

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh cherries (or blueberries if you're going with the original recipe)

For the crumble:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 pound (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the cherries (or blueberries). Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

NOTE: I threw mine all into a large baking dish rather than individual servings.

3. For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with you fingertips until it's in big crumbles, the sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, unil the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Beware: This mixture gets to pea size pretty quickly.  I was sidetracked from having a conversation with Miss P. and in that brief time, it turned into something resembling cookie dough, so I had to start all over.

Tip: If you want to make these early, store the assembled, unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner.

Serving suggestion: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!