Isn’t it interesting how we relegate comfort food to the cold winter months? Stews, chili, pot roast and soup are the first things that come to mind.
There’s no reason the heat of summer should take away our need for comfort foods. Summer fruits can do the job without asking nearly as much of the cook. Indeed, it often doesn’t need the cook to do a thing in order for it to shine: an icy slice of ripe melon, a fragrant, juicy-ripe peach eaten right out of hand, a bowl of berries dusted with sugar and enriched with just a drizzle of cream. Summer fruits can do the work all by themselves.
But even when they come to the table by way of a pot or a baking dish, the nicest and most-comforting ways of preparing them are usually the simplest, a big bowl of mixed fruit salad or those great staples of summer: cobblers, tarts and, my own favorite, crumbles.
The great thing about crumbles is they require absolutely no real skill to put together. The fruit and flavorings are the stars of this show, simply tossed together in the baking dish and the essential finish – a crumbly streusel topping. Crumbles are nearly foolproof, and this one gets a nice kick from bourbon. If you don’t have any on hand, leave it out. The beauty of crumbles iws that they’re flexible.
Blueberry-Bourbon Crumble
2 pints blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1 1/2-2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 lemon
2 teaspoons bourbon
5 ounces (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 ounces (6 tablespoons or 3/4 stick) unsalted butter
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place berries in a mixing bowl, and add the sugar, salt, cornstarch, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg. Zest the lemon, and add lemon zest. Toss well. Add the bourbon, and toss again. Halve the lemon, taste a berry or two and squeeze in lemon juice, if needed, a little at a time.
Lightly butter or spray a shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole, and pour in the fruit. Wash and dry the mixing bowl, put in the flour, remaining cinnamon and brown sugar; toss until well mixed. Add the butter, and cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with lumps no bigger than small peas. Use your fingers or two knives. Sprinkle it over the fruit.
Bake until the crumble topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly in the center, about 45 minutes. Delicious topped with vanilla ice cream. Makes 4-5 servings.
COFFEE ANYONE?
Here are some interesting facts about coffee drinkers from Roasty Coffee, an online resource for coffee lovers. The company recently surveyed 1,500 Americans across the United States on their relationship with coffee.
The results?
* 71% of respondents drink coffee daily and overwhelmingly prefer drip coffee makers (52%) to any other at-home brewing method.
* 57% of respondents think they are addicted to caffeine.
* Americans on average drink 3.12 cups of coffee per day.
* 61% report that their at-home coffee consumption increased since the start of the pandemic.
* And this one came as a surprise: 37% admit to adding alcohol to their coffee at least once during work hours. How do they get anything done?
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or at annebraly.com.
Anne Braly