Yet Another Crumble: Peach Ginger

As I was making this crumble, as part of my I'm-stuck-in-the-house-because-there-is-a-hurricane make work project I realized that this was like the millionth crumble I have featured on this blog since I started and although the fruit and seasonings may vary the recipe is basically the same.  This crumble was born out of a batch of less than thrilling peaches which Neil said were not good eating peaches.  So in this case I added a cup of sugar to the filling, which is about a third cup more then usual and 4 heaping tablespoons of crystallized ginger for excitement (this is for 8 cups of fruit).

 

I love how buttery the topping is.  I added 4 Tablespoons of flour to this crumble and it still was runny after baking, not in a bad way just not in the thick like a can of pie filling thick way that I was hoping for.  Not that canned pie filling should be something to aspire to, but I do like a bit of thickness to the fruit juice in my crumble.  I used to use instant Tapioca to thicken it, but lately have been using flour, which strikes me as old fashioned (more authentic) and less processed, but maybe in the end doesn't do as good a job?  Not sure, next time I'll try 6 Tablespoons.

Here it is all topped and ready for the oven (375 F for about 40 minutes)

Even with the cup of sugar the filing was not over sweet, there was still a suggestion of sourness which I like as it gives a nice contrast to the sweet rich topping.

Still to go back to the original question, why do I make so many crumbles?  Why not pies or cobblers or buckles?  The answer may seem somewhat lame, I think crumbles showcase seasonal fruit in an easy to prepare way that can be dressed up with whipped cream or ice cream and make a lovely dessert even for the fanciest of meals.  You can make individual ones, you can change the topping by adding different nuts or old fashioned rolled oats, you can add more or less sugar and each one you make is an of the moment reflection of the season.   It can also be a great way to use the frozen fruit you put up in August to cheer up a dreary, dark February night. 

So I apologize for my seeming crumble obsession, but I think you have to agree with me that every time you take an aromatic bubbly fruit crumble out of the oven you are always glad you made it.