Apricot Cherry Almond Crumble from Summer’s Stone Fruit
Apricot Cherry Almond Crumble has all the juicy deliciousness of a pie in half the time. Velvety, smooth and tart-sweet golden-orange apricots contrast beautifully in color and taste with deep burgundy sweet cherries. Baked together they create a most gorgeous and luscious filling. Everything topped with a honey sweetened almond and oatmeal streusel. Without a bottom crust and with oat flour in the topping, this summer dessert’s also gluten-free.
Cherries, plums, apricots, nectarines and peaches. Summer’s stone fruit with their large and hard center seed all belong to the same botanical family. You can easily substitute any of the other stone fruit in place of either or both the apricots and cherries in this delicious summertime Crumble.
Cherries in Montana?
The Flathead Lake area of Northwestern Montana has grown cherries since 1866. And what big, succulent, flavorful, luscious cherries they are. In Montana, these are the cherries we wait for every year. They’re in our farmers’ markets and local grocers from late July through August.
According to the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers’ Association this region of northwestern Montana offers ideal conditions for growing cherries.
“It is approximately 3000 feet above sea level with beautiful, sunny, warm days, and cool evenings. Montana’s rocky, well drained soil and pristine, glacier fed water supply is well suited for cherry tree growth. Long warm days with plenty of sunshine help develop outstanding fruit. Cool 40-50 degree evenings extend the growing season which allows fruit to mature over a longer period of time. These conditions contribute to the outstanding taste of Montana cherries.”
Easy cherry pitting
Don’t you love it when the same kitchen tool has multiple uses? I decided to give my tomato shark a try at pitting cherries. I already knew it excelled at removing the cores from tomatoes and the stems from strawberries. Now I know it also makes quick work of removing cherry pits.
So don’t let the job of pitting cherries stop you from preparing this Apricot Cherry Almond Crumble. It’s a simple process for just 3 dozen cherries…with or without a cherry pitter.
- Cut the cherry in half.
- Twist the halves in opposite directions. This removes one half cleanly from the pit.
- Remove the pit from the other half with the tomato shark.
Apricot Cherry Almond Crumble
Rich, succulent apricots and cherries make the season’s tastiest crumble. The honey-sweetened Almond Crumble topping is made gluten-free with oat flour and rolled oats. The same rolled oats, in fact that distinguish this “crumble” from a “crisp.” Serve Apricot Cherry Almond Crumble on its own or with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or a scoop of ice cream.
Thank you David Lebovitz for inspiring this delicious combination of summer stone fruits.
Makes One 7 x 9-inch baking dish, 6-8 Servings Printer-Friendly Recipe.
Start to Finish 1 hour 15 minutes, including 45 minutes baking time
Ingredients
Apricot Cherry Filling
1 tablespoon organic cornstarch
2 tablespoons light, local honey
8 large apricots, stoned and cut into ½ inch slices (4 cups)
3 dozen large sweet cherries, halved and pits removed (3 cups)
Almond Crumble Topping
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup oat flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
3 tablespoons light, local honey
2 ounces cold butter or coconut oil, cut into ½ inch size pieces
¾ cup rolled oats
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake the slivered almonds until lightly toasted, 7 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate to cool.
- Prepare the apricot cherry filling: Place the cornstarch and honey in a large mixing bowl. Use a rubber spatula to combine them.
- Halve and stone the apricots. Cut them into ½-inch slices. You should have about 4 cups. Toss, as much as possible, the sliced apricots with the cornstarch and honey mixture. As the honey draws out the juices from the apricots, it will become easier.
- Stem and halve the cherries. Remove the pits. Add to the sliced apricots. Mix well.
- Transfer the fruit and all the juices to a 7 x 9-inch baking dish.
- Prepare the crumble topping: Combine the oat flour with the cinnamon, cardamom and honey in the bowl of a food processor. Use the pulse button to mix till crumbly.
- Add the cold butter or coconut oil, rolled oats and toasted almonds to the flour mixture. Use the pulse button to distribute the butter, yet keep the crumble topping chunky.
- Evenly distribute the topping over the fruit.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Turn the baking dish 180 degrees. Bake another 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.