“As I bit into the nectarine, it had a crisp juiciness about it that was very pleasurable – until I realized it wasn’t a nectarine at all, but a HUMAN HEAD!!” -Jack Handey, American author and humorist

Oddly enough, I was inspired to create a fruit crumble by my new camera.  I really wanted to see what this sucker could do, and immediately thought that a fruit crumble, with its wonderful contrasts of colors and textures, would be a great way to take the macro lens for a test drive.  I’m still learning to use a camera properly (finally!), so I didn’t take this photo (this amazing guy did…..), but I watched closely, trying to absorb everything he was saying as he snapped away.  I did, however, give myself the challenge of doing the minor post-download Photoshop adjustments to color, brightness, and contrast.  What do you guys think?

Fruit crumbles are great for kitchen novices and kitchen pros alike.  They are truly easy to make and even though I’ve made mine with white nectarines and blueberries, there are endless possibilities and permutations once you understand the method.  I love them especially this time of year, when the produce at the fruit stand is at its most exciting.  I don’t know a person on earth who wouldn’t be happy to have a warm dish of fruit crumble á la mode served to them, no matter how fancy the meal that preceded it.  (Hell, who needs the meal?)  There’s nothing haughty and snobby here, just a wonderfully gooey and formless dessert.  For me, it’s almost like a food version of Play-Doh and finger-painting.  And who couldn’t smile a little bit about that?

Ingredients:

6 white nectarines, washed, cored, and sliced 1/4″ thick

1 pint (2 cups) blueberries, rinsed

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier liqueur

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (or orange juice)

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For the topping:

1 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed lightly

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 stick of butter, melted

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350º F.

1.  Put sliced nectarines, blueberries, flour, sugar, liqueur, and lemon juice in a bowl and toss together with clean hands.  Pour into a 9″ x 12″ casserole dish and set aside.

2.  For the topping, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, oats, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl with a fork.  Melt the stick of butter over low heat, and as soon as the butter melts, pour it over the topping mixture and incorporate with fork until combined.  With clean hands, crumble the topping mixture evenly over the fruit in the casserole dish.

4.  Place casserole dish in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Remove from oven, and allow to cool for several minutes.  Spoon a nice mound of the crumble into a bowl and serve with ice cream, if desired.

Yield: A whole entire casserole dish of fruity summer yummers.