This past weekend...

This past weekend was full of boring old housework. Laundry, cleaning, shopping for necessities and all that boring, tiring and time consuming stuff. So after all that work, I decided to treat myself! I made a crumble...or is it a crisp? What is the difference - is there a difference? Whatever, I made a dessert and it was good!

I will admit that last week I sort of made a trial apple crumble. It was very spur-of-the-moment and I made do with what I had on hand. It was not bad, but I think I may have perfected things this past Sunday! The recipe is below...it is nothing ground breaking, just a fairly standard fruit crumble recipe, but something about making a warm, hearty and fruity dessert is satisfying on a cold day (and damn it was cold Sunday!).

Apple and Berry Crumble

Filling

4 granny smith apples, peeled/cored/cut into pieces
1 cup mixed berries (I used frozen)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tsp cinnamon
1/4 Tsp ground cloves
1/4 Tsp nutmeg (I use whole nutmegs on a grater, so 1/4 Tsp is aprox)
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract

Topping

3 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp rolled oats
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 Tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter
pinch of salt

Combine apples, berries, sugar, vanilla and spices for the filling in a large bowl, then transfer to your baking dish (I used an 8" glass dish). In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter for the topping. Mix together by hand until the butter is in smallish (pea-sized) pieces, then add in oats. Mix well and pack on top of the fruit mixture in baking dish. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees (or until fruit is bubbling and top is golden). Makes 4 hearty servings. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream...or custard...or whipped cream...or vanilla yogurt...this list goes on!