Stone Fruit Crumble

This crumble is really easy and really good. It can be made with whatever stone fruit is in season - peaches, plums, nectarines, pluots, basically whatever strikes your fancy. The topping itself is simple but make sure to really incorporate the butter into the oat flour mixture. This hydrates the dough, making for a slighty crispy, slightly chewy, totally delicious crumble topping. The lemon and orange zest in the fruit gives it a little extra tang and their juices bring the acid you need to balance out the sweetness of the stone fruit. The dish can also be made ahead and reheated right to order - she's not fancy, but she's pretty perfect. 

Stone Fruit Crumble

Serves 4 (or 2, if you're my husband)Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 pounds of stone fruit (nectarines, plums, peaches - whatever you like), cut into thick 1/2 inch slices
• 1 tsp lemon zest + 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp orange zest + 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled

 Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine sliced sone fruit, citrus zest and juice, a pinch of salt, half of the cinnamon (basically a big pinch) and 2 tbsp of the brown sugar into a bowl. Mix and let sit so the fruit can macerate.
3. Meanwhile, make the topping: in a small bowl, combine remaining 2 tbsp of brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon and baking soda and then toss so everything is mixed evenly.
4. Cut 1/4 cup of butter into thin slices. Add the slices to the flour mixture and then toss the butter so the butter is fully coated. Then using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture is fully incorporated. It's done when you can grab a handful of the topping mixture and it holds together. The butter is the only "liquid" in the topping so it needs to coat the flour as much as possible in order to bind it all together. You can also use a food processor for this if you wanted.
5. Take the remaining tablespoon of butter and cut into a few small pieces. Dot the the fruit with the butter, and then top the entire thing with the crumble mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling up and the topping is browned and slightly crispy. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream!