Apple-Pear Crumble
I always struggle in giving these desserts a proper name…is it a crisp or a crumble? Both are quite similar; they contain fresh fruit with a streusel-like topping that gets baked until the fruit is cooked and top is golden and just a bit crunchy (hmm…maybe it should be called a crunchy). Per one unverified source, the original difference between the two lay in the streusel topping: crisps would contain oats and crumbles would not. In an actual crisp, as in apple crisp or strawberry crisp, the oats in the topping crisp up as it bakes, hence the name. As time has gone by, though,
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I always struggle in giving these desserts a proper name…is it a crisp or a crumble? Both are quite similar; they contain fresh fruit with a streusel-like topping that gets baked until the fruit is cooked and top is golden and just a bit crunchy (hmm…maybe it should be called a crunchy). Per one unverified source, the original difference between the two lay in the streusel topping: crisps would contain oats and crumbles would not. In an actual crisp, as in apple crisp or strawberry crisp, the oats in the topping crisp up as it bakes, hence the name. As time has gone by, though, the lines have blurred and the names crumble and crisp are now used interchangeably. Ok, that makes sense to me and now that is cleared up and I can freely call my crunchy top that crisps when baked a crumble!
This recipe works well with any seasonal fruit. I especially like making a strawberry-rhubarb version during the spring or mixed berries during the summer. Yield: makes about 8-10 servings (less if you have a sweet tooth).