My annual leave is seeping away!

I cannot believe that we are in October now. 2020 is slipping away like water down a drain.

I braved a little bit more of the outside world to do more normal things today. I picked up my coat and bag that needed mending from the drycleaners. I bought a pair of winter ankle boots, some perfume and some underwear. My first trip to a shopping centre that is not related to an errand or birthday present buying non-online personal items for myself. It felt weird as there were not many people about (but granted it is a weekday), I was santizing my hands left, right and centre and I avoided queues, like the plague…

I’ve got the things I need for now and I cannot see that I’ll be heading out to the shopping centre anytime soon. This past year has shown me that I am able to do without many things, although a little luxury now and again is nice.

However there is still food to be cooked, that never really changes. Today I wanted to use up the berries (blue and black) that have been lurking in the fridge for a while. I thought the best way might be to make a crumble. It feels like we are in that season now, also I need something sweet to eat with my coffee! I also had a can of tinned peaches in the cupboard which have also been crying out to be eaten.

This is a pretty simple recipe to execute. I did decide to use only half the required amount of sugar because it all just seemmed too sweet. I also added cinnamon to the crumble mixture. For me it’s just not crumble without cinnamon.

And how did it turn out? Very nice. I managed to demolish one slice while I was waiting for my coffee to brew. And the second slice was even nicer. I noticed that this had a very zesty lemony tang. I am assuming that this is as a consequence of me using much less sugar. But I liked it. It complemented the dark intense coffee I sipped alongside it.

Ingredients

4 cups blackberries and blueberries

zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp granulated sugar

Crumble Topping

1/2 cup rolled (old-fashioned) oats

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (use oat or almond flour for a gluten-free option)

3/8 cup (6 tbsp) brown sugar

pinch of fine-grain sea salt

3 tbsp cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil (room-temperature)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss together the berries, lemon zest and sugar. Fill a baking dish with the berries. Set aside.

2. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar and salt until combined. Add the coconut oil, and use the back of a fork to cut the oil into the dry ingredients. Continue until the oil is completely incorporated, and the mixture comes together into a chunky crumb. Crumble the topping over the berries.

3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden brown and the berry juices begin to bubble. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Reference : https://www.forkknifeswoon.com/blackberry-and-blueberry-crumble/