World’s Greatest Crumble

When you put together the simple ingredients for this crumble, you’ll think, “Ho hum…nothing special about this, but a great way to serve up this week’s bountiful supply of berries.”

Then, when you take your first bite, you’ll check to see if maybe a little elfin showed up in your kitchen, when you weren’t looking, and added some caramel, or vanilla, or … something.  You’ll check the ingredients again on the recipe, and you’ll scratch your head, trying to remember if you didn’t add anything else than the required amount of flour, oats and sugar. Maybe it was brown sugar you added instead?

Something happens when you cook this crumble. Under heat, the butter seems to transform the simple ingredients into a caramelized bite of heaven. It’s like having an extra bit of angelic help in the kitchen. And who, among us, doesn’t need that kind of help.

Here’s the recipe for the world’s greatest crumble:

• 1 3/4 cup of flour
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salts
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes.
• 1 cup rolled oats

1. Preheat at 375 degrees F.
2. Mix flour, sugar and salt with a fork.
3. Using a fork, or pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.
4. Add oats, stirring them into the mixture.

Filling

• 4 pints of berries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup of flour

• In separate bowl, combine fruit sugar and flour.
• Spread filling into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
• Using your fingers, press topping into large clumps and scatter over fruit.
• Bake until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown — about one hour.

I might just make this whenever I feel like I need a little extra help around the house — the presence of the caramelized flavor may just lead me to believe, I have some.