Peach Crumble

The king and queen of this castle favor fruity desserts. The Queen adores apple things- this is Suite Apple Pie after all, but give her a crisp, brown betty, or dumpling and she'll be just as happy. The King, on the other hand, prefers items of the peach persuasion.

To please the man of the house, I made a Peach Crumble for our Easter afternoon dessert. We loved it plain, but you could add some whipped cream or ice cream for a little something extra.

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A crisp or crumble with a topping with oats and nuts is more common for us, but this recipe sans oats is quite pleasing due to the method of preparation. It makes a difference to start the two components separately and marry them together for the final bake.

Peach Crumble

3 1/2 lbs peaches (fresh or frozen), peeled and cut into wedges

1/3 cup, plus 1/4 cup, plus 1 Tbs baker's sugar

1 1/4 tsp cornstarch

juice from 1/2 lemon

pinch each of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

6 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with the racks in the lower and middle positions.

Toss the peaches with 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl, and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain the peaches in a colander set over a second bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the peach juice and discard the rest. Whisk the reserved juice with the cornstarch, lemon juice, and spices. Toss the mixture with the peaches and transfer to a baking dish.

Combine the flour, sugars (minus 1 Tbs baker's sugar), and salt in a food processor with the vanilla. Pulse to combine. Add the softened butter and half the nuts and process until the mixture clumps, about 1 minute. Add the rest of the nuts and pulse a few times to combine. Transfer the mixture to a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes until brown and firm.

Increase the oven heat to 375 and bake the peaches for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the topping over in a thin layer. Return to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until brown and bubbly. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

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