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Winter Harvest Fruit Crumble

A masterclass in streusel architecture and flavor balancing. By contrasting the deep sweetness of apples, peaches, and cherries with bright citrus juice and unexpected earthy sage, this versatile dessert is crowned with a crisp, buttery oat topping that demands to be served warm.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

The Harvest Fruit Filling
  • 4 Granny Smith apples cored and thinly sliced
  • 4 peaches pitted and thinly sliced (frozen and thawed works perfectly)
  • 1 pound sweet cherries pitted and halved (about 2 ½ cups, frozen and thawed works perfectly)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh sage finely chopped
The Oat & Brown Sugar Crumble
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and cut into small cubes

Method
 

The Fruit Foundation
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Generously coat a shallow ceramic baking dish with vegetable oil spray or butter.
  3. Place the sliced apples, peaches, and halved cherries directly into the prepared baking dish.
  4. Add the granulated sugar, fresh orange juice, vanilla extract, and finely chopped fresh sage to the fruit.
  5. Using clean hands or a wooden spoon, gently toss the fruit until it is uniformly coated in the sugars, juice, and aromatics.
The Streusel Architecture
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the old-fashioned rolled oats, all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and kosher salt.
  2. Drop the small, chilled cubes of butter into the dry ingredients.
  3. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, quickly and aggressively rub the cold butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse, craggy crumbs. (Do not let the butter melt; the cold fat is essential for a crisp topping).
The Thermal Execution
  1. Scatter the crumb mixture heavily and evenly over the top of the prepared fruit filling.
  2. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes. The crumble is finished when the oat topping is deeply golden brown and the thick, syrupy fruit juices are visibly bubbling up around the edges of the dish.
  3. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly so the juices can set.
  4. Serve the crumble warm, generously garnished with premium vanilla bean ice cream or freshly whipped heavy cream.