Covid Crumble

While watching TV last night, I was struck by how living during a pandemic has become part of our “normal” life now. People in commercials are wearing masks, washing their hands, and social distancing. The new season of the most popular shows is starting (Yay, the Chicago 3 are back!) and they all address living in COVID times. 

How has the virus changed your life? I had a freezer stuffed with bags of fruit bought because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find fresh. Since that fear didn’t come to pass, I needed to find a way to use those bags of cherries, blueberries, and peaches.

Introducing Covid Crumble. This simple dessert (or breakfast!) can be made with just about any fruit, frozen or fresh. It was inspired by a recipe I found for Rhubarb Crisp in Martha’s Vineyard: Isle of Dreams by Susan Branch.

 

One of the greatest joys in life is finding an author who speaks to your heart. Susan Branch does that for me. I remember when her first book Heart of the Home hit the bestseller lists in the 1980s. Honestly, her style didn’t fit mine, so I didn’t pay it a lot of attention. However, a couple of years ago, I picked up a copy of Martha’s Vineyard, which is one of three autobiographical books she created from the diaries she kept throughout her life, and I was completely inspired by her words and drawings. 

👈 I love how she hand letters each word and her illustrations are beautiful. 

Now I’ve read all three autobiographies and am working my way through her cookbooks. Each brought me comfort during this unique time in history.

Pure joy! You can check out her blog here. 

Thanks to Susan, I now keep my own diary in a pretty notebook, with my thoughts and inspiration from others written with colorful Paper Mate Flair felt-tip pens, which don’t bleed through the paper. 

I posted the recipe for my popular Breakfast Crumble a few years ago.  This one caught my attention because it uses almond flour instead of plain flour. It also has instant tapioca as a thickener, which is an old-school trick my grandmother utilized. I often use this method when making pies. 

So far, I’ve made Covid Crumble using apples, blueberries, peaches and cherries. Each tasted great, especially topped with a little vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or even a splash of milk (my dad’s favorite trick.)

Yield: 4 to 6

Author: Linda Ditch

Print

Covid Crumble

Adapted from a recipe found in Martha's Vineyard: Isle of Dreams by Susan Branch, this dessert (or breakfast!) makes use of those bags of frozen fruit stored in the freezer. Fresh fruit also works well.

Ingredients

• 6 cups fruit of choice, frozen or fresh
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup instant tapioca
• Pinch of salt
• For topping:
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts of choice
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the fruit, sugar, tapioca and salt. (You don’t have to thaw frozen fruit first.) Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish or individual ramekins with non-stick spray and place on a foil-lined tray. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, add all of the topping ingredients except for the butter. Stir to combine. Add the butter and, using your fingers, work it into the dry ingredients until it’s combined and crumbly.
4. Pour the fruit into the baking dish, and then top with the topping mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is hot and bubbly.
5. Serve warm topped with ice cream, whipped cream, or a splash of milk.

Notes:

You don't need to thaw the frozen fruit before using.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Mango Raspberry Bellini

I love Sunday mornings. No matter the season, this is the one morning of the week I can feel relaxed and enjoy a time that is usually rushed and busy the other six days in the week. Even if I’m going to church, I still have time to enjoy the entire newspaper, plus a magazine or two.

This is also the morning I enjoy special beverages. I’ll dress up the coffee with cinnamon, a special creamer, or chocolate for a mocha. Or I’ll make a drink, like this Mango Raspberry Bellini with a recipe given to me by the National Mango Board.

Tropical drinks are a reminder warmth is on the way. Since I’m allergic to pineapple, mango is my favorite island fruit. However, it took me a while to get the hang of cutting it! I remember my first time when I thought the pit would easily come out like a peach pit. Wrong! This pit does not come out, so you have to cut around it.

The National Mango Board has this terrific video to show you how to cut a mango.

The board also had a lot of mango recipes on their website, including this one. I like it’s minty, tropical taste. I also tested out non-alcoholic versions of the drink using club soda and ginger ale. They were tasty, too.

 

I’ve enjoyed this drink in one form or another every day since I first tried it. I keep thinking I’ll get tired of it, but so far that hasn’t happened. Guess I’ll have to buy more mangos!

Author: Linda Ditch

Mango Raspberry Bellini

Recipe courtesy of the National Mango Board

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 mint tea bag
• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, diced
• Raspberries
• 1 cup sparkling wine, or a different bubbly beverage (see note)

Instructions

1. First, make the mint simple syrup: combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar melts. Remove from the heat, add the teabag, and steep for 5 minutes. Chill the syrup. (It can be stored in the refrigerator for one month.)
2. In a food processor, puree diced mango until smooth.
3. To assemble, place a few raspberries into a champagne flute or other glass. Add 2 tablespoons of the mint simple syrup, 2 tablespoons (or to taste) of the mango puree, and the sparkling wine (or ginger ale.) Stir to mix together.
4. Note: To make this drink kid-friendly (or for non-imbibing adults) skip the sparkling wine and use club soda instead. Another option is to skip the sparkling wine and the mint simple syrup and use ginger ale or lemon-lime soda instead.