Though blueberries are one of my favorite fruits, I can usually resist the earliest shipped in from South America as they are almost always a disappointment.
But recently I found pints of deep, blue-purple berries from Florida on sale. They were so plump and lovely, I found them irresistible. They were still not quite right for my favorite way of having them — picked from my yard and eaten right out of my hand, which will happen soon — but they were just right for an old-fashioned blueberry crumble.
(READ MORE: A blueberry a day won’t keep the doctor away, but 75 of them might)
Crumbles are really nothing more than deep-dish fruit pies and are often called cobblers, crisps and slumps, the latter being a very old term. Most are distinguished from one another mainly by their toppings. Of all their odd names, only crumble makes immediate sense: Its topping is a crumbled mixture of flour and butter.
The great thing about a crumble is that it’s a pastry that is virtually foolproof. The crisp, buttery topping makes such a perfect foil for the fruit filling and can be put together literally in not much more than a minute, requiring absolutely no skill of the cook.