Berry Crumble

As I mentioned in my last post, I've finally made a Facebook page for Chocolate Shavings. If you want to receive regular updates about the site, new recipes and photos, please join here! I've always loved a couple spoonfuls of warm fruit crumble topped with a scoop or two of vanilla bean ice cream. It's a pick-me-up for anytime of the year. I just came back from a month in a half trip to Europe - a blissful time in London working at the BBC and a relaxing couple weeks at my parents house in Paris spending time with family and friends. After a long time being away from my Montreal home, the one thing I always look forward to is coming back to my kitchen. Coming back as jet-lagged as ever - for some reason, the more I travel, the less my body seems to react properly to time change - I decided that making a gold old rustic berry crumble was the best way to get a sense of my Parisian self in my Montreal kitchen and make the hours before 7AM seem reasonably alive.

Crumbles really are one of my favourite ways to enjoy seasonal fruit. The light crumble topping is the perfect addition to ripe and plump berries at this time of year and the dessert really comes together in a matter of minutes. I always tend to add little sugar to crumbles because ripe fruit really doesn't need that much else to shine.

Berry Crumble
Serves 4

1 cup of all purpose flour
1 1/2 stick of very cold butter
1/2 cup of sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
Fruit:
2 1/2 cups of blackberries and raspberries
2 tablespoons of sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces and, using your fingers, turn the mixture into small lumps of dough.

In a separate bowl, add the 2 tablespoons of sugar to the fruit and lightly toss to coat. Divide the fruit between 4 ramekins and top with equal portions of crumble topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve warm, preferably with some vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!