Ina Garten's Peach & Blueberry Crumbles

I have touted my fondness for Ina Garten's recipes multiple times on this blog. I had spotted the group "Barefoot Bloggers" a while back, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to commit to posting Ina's recipes twice a month. On second thought, I do that anyway! So, I decided to jump in with my first posting for a recipe chosen by Aggie of "Aggie's Kitchen". It's from Ina Garten's Cookbook "Barefoot Contessa At Home" for Peach & Blueberry Crumbles.

This was going to be very easy, because I make fruit crisps all the time! I think of them as "lazy baker's pie". Blueberries aren't really high on our family's list of favorites (except in pancakes), so my boys were skeptical of this combination. I was ready to give this a try...

Locally grown, fresh peaches were on sale the week that this recipe was chosen (Perfect timing, Aggie).

Skinning peaches is easy as... well, pie... I blanched them for one minute in boiling water...

... then, removed them with one of my versatile and favorite gadgets-- my "spider" and dunked them immediately into an ice bath. The skin slip right off. (Tip, cut a small "x" at the bottom of each peach for easy skin removal.)


The only change I made in Ina's recipe was to substitute tapioca for flour. Personally, I find that flour tends to "muddy" my fruit. Either way works, though. I let the fruit "sit" while I made the crumbles with my Kitchen Aid Mixer (so much easier than doing it by hand).


I have to say that peaches and blueberries make a beautiful combination of contrasting colors. I had a feeling that this was going to be delicious.


I read some past comments on this recipe, and I decided to double the crumbles. I like having a bit of crumble in each bite of fruit, myself. I recall Ina saying that you want the crumble mixture to resemble "beach sand". I grabbed a little and squeezed, and it bound together. That should do it!

Ina's recipe calls for making this recipe with individual ramekins. I decided instead, to use my Emily Henry Oval Baking Dish-- a wedding gift that is near and dear to my heart. I photographed this before completely cover all of the fruit, so that you could see what was underneath.
I had leftover crumbles, but I've saved that for a future fruit dish.

My kitchen smelled wonderful, with a nice hint of cinnamon. I thought that the fruit firmed up just right.

We love our fruit dishes to be served slightly warm. My husband loves it when his vanilla bean ice cream melts into his dessert.


Overall, this is a very simple dessert to make. I still prefer fruit crisps because I love the crunch of the oatmeal that is added to the topping. In fact, with my leftover crumbles, I'll do exactly that!

Thanks Barefoot Bloggers for making my first recipe an easy one to do. I can't wait to see what is chosen for the month of August. If you enjoy Ina Garten, as much as I do, come visit the Barefoot Bloggers and see what recipes they've posted.