Grape and Berry Crumble

Apple orchard, second year running. My parents and Sean's parents both came this time, which made it a production in the best way—three cars, four grandparents, one toddler in overalls who ran through the orchard rows with both arms out in the universal toddler posture of freedom. He remembered "apple" from last year or he didn't and learned it again; either way he said "apple" when he saw them and picked one with both hands and took an enormous bite before anyone could redirect him and his face went through the same phases as last year, surprise and assessment and then determination, and he kept eating.

My mother and Maureen walked the orchard together, which they do at every family event now—orbit toward each other eventually and walk and talk, parallel movement that contains a relationship. I watched them from across the row. They've been doing this since Sean and I got married. They're building something that didn't exist before we built what we built. I find this moving.

Something has shifted in my body this week in a way I recognize. I haven't said anything to Sean yet. I bought a test on the way home from the orchard—stopped at the CVS on East Broadway on a pretext—and took it on Monday morning and looked at it for a moment and then put it on the bathroom counter where Sean would see it when he came in. He came in. He saw it. He said nothing for about ten seconds. Then he said "yeah?" and I said "yeah." And that was the whole conversation, because we've been here before and we know what it means and we didn't need to say more.

We came home from the orchard with muddy shoes and a bag of apples we’d picked ourselves, and I needed something to do with my hands while I figured out what the week meant. A crumble is the right thing for that kind of afternoon — it asks just enough of you, the measuring and the cutting and the rubbing of butter into oats, without asking too much. I didn’t have apples ready to use yet, but I had grapes and a pint of mixed berries in the fridge, and it turned out that was exactly the right thing to make on the day before everything quietly changed.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 cups red or green grapes, halved
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup raspberries or blackberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly butter an 8-inch square or equivalent baking dish.
Make the fruit filling. In a large bowl, toss together the grapes, blueberries, raspberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice until the fruit is evenly coated. Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer.
Make the crumble topping. In a separate bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and use your fingertips to work the butter into the dry mixture, rubbing and pressing until the mixture holds together in coarse, pebbly clumps.
Assemble and bake. Scatter the crumble topping evenly over the fruit. Bake for 33—38 minutes, until the topping is deep golden and the fruit is bubbling at the edges.
Rest before serving. Let the crumble sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream or plain whipped cream if you like.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grape and Berry Crumble — The Sweetness Hiding Inside an Ordinary Tuesday