Blueberry Crumble

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”

― Anaïs Nin

My world has been extremely hectic. From Family weddings back to back for a couple of weeks- to festivals, gift shopping, gift exchanging, all the finery and finally with travel across the seas, It has been a frenzied two months. A lot of action, a lot of thinking, a lot of doing, and yet- a lot still needs to be done.

In the midst of all of this chaos, a lot of cooking and tasting took place as well; especially, as an ode to the festive season. And of course, some wonderful dishes were concocted as a result. This recipe for a Blueberry crumble was fed to family for breakfast, lunch, evening tea (a traditional Swedish fika for our new Swedish family) and even dinner. The fika is a distinguished meal, and personally, I thought it was the perfect way to bond with family/friends and of course, eat some wonderful food in the process. More information on a traditional fika can be found here.

Coming back to the crumble, Batches were prepared, and then again, more batches were prepared. In fact even post the festivities, I made a batch yesterday again. We constantly had people over, through the course of a few days around Diwali and I don’t think I have ever used a recipe in a manner like this. Easy to prepare in advance- and all one has to do is just pop in the oven when the guests arrive. The fillings can last up to 15 days, when refrigerated. Although Blueberries are not so easily available here, I used the dried ones that my SIL had kindly sent about a month back. To get them closer to taste like the fresh ones, I usually soak them in milk for about 15 minutes, until they swell up and are ready to be used. What is remarkable about this crumble is how healthy it is. I adapted the recipe from the crumble topping by the fabulous Deeba @ Passionate about Baking- and of course, one of her recipes could never go wrong. Her crumble recipe can be found here and the filling was adapted from another of my favourite blogs- How Sweet Eats. A beautiful blog, with great writing, and of course, brilliant recipes.

The oats add just the right crunch to the moist blueberry filling and the warmth is ideal for a cold winter day. One of those flawless desserts- the flavours are precise. For variations, and if blueberries are not available, strawberries can easily be used to replace the blueberries. Served with ice-cream or whipped cream, the crumble is a delectable dessert. For anyone who loves fruity desserts and likes to serve individual dessert servings, This one is a must try- Now!

Serves 6-8 (depending on size of ramekins)

Crumble Topping (From Passionate About Baking here)

2 Table spoons Flour

2 Table Spoons Brown Sugar

½ cup Butter

½ cup Oats

Fruit Filling (adapted from How Sweet eats here)

2 Table Spoons Brown Sugar

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

½ Teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

6 Tablespoons Dried Blueberries soaked in 4 Tablespoons Milk (replaceable with Fresh ones)

Mix the ingredients for the topping and the filling in 2 separate bowls and keep aside. In ramekins or other oven-proof dishes, add the blueberry filling and top with the crumble topping. Pour in some of the fruit syrup leftover if any. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C for about 20 minutes. Serve warm with ice-cream or whipped cream, or healthier still- by itself.