Our nephew Zach has a thing for blueberries. So a fruity dessert was a must when he and my younger sister Pam (she may be 50+ but she's still the baby of our family!) visited recently.
That's when I discovered this yummy Queen's Crumble from pastry chef Claes Karlsson's Big Book of Desserts and Pastries (Skyhorse Publishing, May 2013, $19.95). This delightful, cobbler-style dessert combines a buttery top and bottom crust with a blueberry-strawberry-raspberry filling. Oh my!
The sweet, oatmeal cookie-like crust calls for three sugars: granulated, raw and vanilla. I'd never heard of vanilla sugar but Google told me:
Although making your own vanilla sugar takes some time, this sweet treat's divinely simple to make. It helps if you have a stand mixer to combine the crust ingredients but you also can use a manual pastry blender.
Fresh or frozen fruit works in the filling. I blended fresh strawberries and blueberries with frozen raspberries just because I had them on hand.
Since you use only 3/4 cup of each fruit, I wondered if there would be enough filling. However, it was perfect and made enough to feed eight when I layered the crumble dough, filling and more crumble dough in a 7- x 10-inch dish.
We adored this fruity dessert served warm. My sister Pam and I ate it plain while Bob and Zach added a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Either way, it tastes so good you'll swear it came from a bakery.
Mix together the first 6 ingredients until the dough resembles fine breadcrumbs. Cover the bottom of an ovenproof dish with about half of the crumble dough and top with the berries. Cover the berries with the rest of the crumble dough. Bake in the center of the oven for 50 minutes at 300 °F. Crumble can be served hot or cold with vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce.
Author: Claes Karlsson
Other Works: Head pastry chef at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Penned: May 2013
What's Inside: Recipes for dozens of professional pastry chef Clase Karlsson's favorite goodies. You'll find easy-to-follow instructions for impressive desserts (everything from Mango Sorbet to Chocolate Mousse with Carmelized Almonds), candies (think Tangy Lemon Ice Lollies) and pastries (make mine Vanilla Sponge Cake with Lemon Curd!). There's even a chapter devoted to basic recipes like frostings, sauces and edible decorations that can lend a gourmet touch to any sweet treat.
Time Out: 160 pages
Available: $19.95 at Amazon and most book retailers
In the mood for something sweet? You'll also enjoy:
Prepare your own Mexican quick fix with this Chipotle-inspired bowl. Carbs are moderated by filling the bowl with beans, extra veggies and chicken. No need for rice, since the beans count as carbs.
Tips:
If you love tomatoes, increase the quantity to 1/2 cup, but note that the carbohydrates will also increase.
If preparing this recipe for one person, cut all of the ingredients in half. Or simply prepare the full recipe up to the end of step 2 and store leftover chicken and vegetable-bean mixture in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave on High for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through, and continue with step 3.
Health Bite: The iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc in black beans help to keep bones strong and healthy.
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