Crunchy Apricot Blueberry Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream
A few years ago, a friend visited me in Berlin. It was a short visit, we only had a few hours, but we made the most of it and enjoyed an afternoon of baking in my kitchen. The result was nothing less than heavenly: Cristina's addictive Gooseberry Crumble!
Cristina has always been obsessed with baking, so many afternoons I’ve seen her standing in the kitchen, excitedly staring at the oven to see her sweet creations rise and turn into bites of happiness. She always reminded me of myself as a teenager. Those afternoons with my girls, a pound of flour, sugar, and eggs, created some of the best memories of my early teenage years. There's something about the combination of young girls and baking that seems like a match made in heaven. How much we enjoyed trying out new recipes or baking our old classics again and again and again (red wine cake was always high up on our list!). It was an innocent time, before the real troubles of life started.
When I saw the pictures again of Cristina in the meet in your kitchen feature I did with he, how she made this wonderful crunchy crumble in her pretty white dress, I felt reminded of my early baking days - and of her fantastic recipe. As I got over the first wave of nostalgia, I pulled out the baking dish and made a sweet and fruity crumble with apricots and blueberries. I'm sure Cristina would approve of it, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Apricot Blueberry Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream
Serves 4-6
For the crumble
apricots, pitted and cut in half, 10
blueberries 250g / 9 ounces
plain flour 300g / 2 1/3 cups
Demerara sugar 160g / 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon
a pinch of salt
butter, at room temperature, 200g / 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon
For the topping
Demerara sugar 2 tablespoons
ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon
For serving
vanilla ice cream
Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (preferably convection setting) and butter a medium baking dish (mine is oval, 19 x 28cm / 7 1/2 x 11").
Spread the apricots and blueberries in the prepared baking dish.
For the topping, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and quickly mix with your fingers until you have a crumbly mixture. Spread the crumbles on top of the fruit and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Let it cool for about 10 minutes and serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.
