Peach and Blueberry Crumble

You know that it’s peach season when you walk into the produce section of the grocery store and almost immediately are overcome with the sweet smell of peaches wafting from their bin. We can’t resist that intoxicating aroma when we walk past them. Even if we hadn’t planned on buying any, we can’t help but snatch up at least a few when we walk by. On Monday, we shared with you a list of memorable peach recipes from around the web, and we are planning on doing our fair share of peach baking this month. Grab some peaches and get ready! We're starting things off this week with a simple yet fabulous peach and blueberry crumble. There are a lot of fruits that go well together and peaches and blueberries are a reliable example of one of the many sweet and succulent combinations that make for fantastic baking.

Anytime we buy peaches, eat peaches, slice peaches or do anything that involves peaches, we get the song “Peaches” by The Presidents of the United States of America stuck in our head. Definitely a byproduct of being a teenager of the ’90s.

Movin’ to the country we're gonna eat a lot of peaches…
Millions of peaches peaches for us…

Anyone else? Anyone?

There’s nothing better during the spring, summer and fall than making something with fresh fruit, taking it out of the oven and seeing the juices bubbling up and over the topping. You know how much we love chocolate and rich desserts, but we have made a concerted effort this year to take full advantage of nature’s fresh bounty. Whether you bake the fruit into a pie, crisp, crumble, cobbler or cake, it will be warm, juicy and full of flavor. All you need is a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have dessert perfection!

One year ago: Top 10 List: Favorite Yeast Bread Recipes
Two years ago: Peach Pie Tartlets
Three years ago: Arancini: Italian Rice Balls
Four years ago: Black Bottom Cupcakes
Five years ago: Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Peach and Blueberry Crumble

Yield: 4 to 6 servings A rich fruit crumble

For the Filling:

• 2 pounds (907.18 g) fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into wedges ½-inch to ¾-inch-thick
• ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
• 1¼ teaspoons (1.25 teaspoons) cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
• 1 cup (148 g) blueberries

For the Crumble:

• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (50 g) + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
• ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make the Filling: Toss together the peach slices and sugar in a large bowl and let stand for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Drain the peaches in a colander set over a large bowl, reserving the drained juices. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the drained peach juice, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt (you can discard any excess peach juice). Return the peach slices to a large bowl and toss with the juice mixture. Gently fold in the blueberries and transfer the fruit mixture to a 2-quart baking dish.
• Make the Crumble: While the peaches are draining, you can start on the topping. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and vanilla extract and use a pastry blender (or your fingers!) to work the butter into the flour and sugar mixture. Blend it together until a crumbly mass forms. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread out into a single layer (the chunks should be about a ½-inch in diameter, give or take). Bake until the crumbles are lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
• Assemble & Bake: Transfer the par-baked crumbles to the top of the peach and blueberry filling, spreading it into an even layer. Break up any large pieces and lightly tamp down on the crumbles so they adhere to the filling. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar evenly over the top of the crumble. Bake until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit filling is bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

Nutritional values are based on one serving

• Yield: 4 to 6 servings
• Prep: 45 minutes
• Cook: 50 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the Filling:

• 2 pounds ( 907.18 g ) fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into wedges ½-inch to ¾-inch-thick
• ⅓ cup ( 66.67 g ) granulated sugar
• 1¼ teaspoons ( 1.25 teaspoons ) cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt
• 1 cup ( 148 g ) blueberries

For the Crumble:

• 1 cup ( 125 g ) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup ( 50 g ) + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
• ¼ cup ( 55 g ) light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make the Filling: Toss together the peach slices and sugar in a large bowl and let stand for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Drain the peaches in a colander set over a large bowl, reserving the drained juices. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the drained peach juice, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt (you can discard any excess peach juice). Return the peach slices to a large bowl and toss with the juice mixture. Gently fold in the blueberries and transfer the fruit mixture to a 2-quart baking dish.
3. Make the Crumble: While the peaches are draining, you can start on the topping. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and vanilla extract and use a pastry blender (or your fingers!) to work the butter into the flour and sugar mixture. Blend it together until a crumbly mass forms. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread out into a single layer (the chunks should be about a ½-inch in diameter, give or take). Bake until the crumbles are lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
4. Assemble & Bake: Transfer the par-baked crumbles to the top of the peach and blueberry filling, spreading it into an even layer. Break up any large pieces and lightly tamp down on the crumbles so they adhere to the filling. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of granulated sugar evenly over the top of the crumble. Bake until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit filling is bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.