August 26, 2008

Fruit brownie crumble - And a trip to the farm



Following a enthusiastic trip which was long due to the local farm (basically something like a U-pick place) ended up in me heaving a basketful of fresh fruits and vegetables.
This was my first trip to any farm, and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. It was like our backyard -back home, only bigger and better.

Fond memories came rushing back, our beautiful garden with fresh fruits, flowers and vegetables right in my own backyard, which sadly I never took time to stop and appreciate.
Now, getting it from the local store is as fresh as it gets. But the farm was a welcome change to the off-the-tree produce that we normally end up with, and I am one happy fruit picker, this week, and every week from now on.

While the vegetables are yet to be put into good use, the fruits as you can see has already met its fate :) Good for me, because they taste reallyyyy good right now.
I found this recipe from thepappilonpantry while I was fishing for some innovative ways to use the fruits up. Amazing as the recipe is by "Kiriel", I was dying for something chocolatey. She has a very nice version with oats and rhubarb with I am yet to use in my cooking.
As you can see, I ended up with a mixture of brownie and fruits, put them together, and here it is...

Fruit brownie crumble
(Oh! how I envy those bloggers with pictures of their own plants and produce! Sigh!)

Ingredients:

For the fruit compote:

Fresh fruits - 5 cups (I used applies, strawberries raspberries, & plums) Pineapple would have been a good addition, but did not have any :(
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Orange juice - 2 tbsp
Cornstarch - 2 tbsp
Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp

For the Brownie crumble:

Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
White sugar - 1/4 cup (I used a little less of both)
Cocoa - 1/4 cup
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
Butter - 4 tbsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Cut all the fruits into bite size 1-inch cubes and keep aside.



Preheat oven to 375F.

Sprinkle the fruits with the sugar, toss and set aside for 20 min. It should leave out some liquid, if not add the orange juice and toss.



Add the cornstarch, nutmeg and vanilla to the fruit mixture and mix well. The fruits will kind of gel together at this point.

Transfer into a 8" greased baking dish, and set aside till you prepare the brownie crumble.



For making the crumble, mix all the dry ingredients listed above first. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients. You will get a crumbly textured mixture. Make sure it is not too wet or too dry.

Top this crumble entirely over the fruit mixture which is already in the baking pan.



Bake for about 30-40 min or till the fruit starts to leave out juices from the corner of the pan through the crumble. The topping should be firm to touch. Rest outside the oven for 15-20 min before digging in.

Scoop with a ladle and serve warm with cold ice cream or just eat it the way it is.



I am sending this away to Aparna for the MBP-Fruit Fare event
This cute little drawing was apparently done by Aparna's daughter Akshaya when she was eight. How thoughtful of her to have incorporated it into the event! Nice work.



Also sending it to Meeta's Chocolate and Fruit event

24 comments:

  1. oooh this looks delectable,sounds like you had good fun at the farm...how nice to be able to get some fresh fruits and veggies :)

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  2. Looks lovely divya..

    I have tagged you for a MeMe :)..Check out my blog for more details..

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  3. Thanks for visiting my blog :) This dessert looks really tasty, and I love that it has so many different fruits in it!

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  4. Hello Divya, I dont venture near making deserts or do much baking. This recipe however looks simple enough and so delicious awith so many fruits. Wonder if this can be a way of getting my family to EAT MORE FRUITS! :-)

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  5. This is looking so gud...love the picture...glad you enjoyed your farm trip....have fun

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  6. Looks yummy. I love this recipe!

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  7. This one looks a killer crumble, Have a look to the monthly mingle event "choco & fruit" by Meeta -guess it should suit that event too :)

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  8. Thanks guys! Appreciate all your comments.

    Paru, thanks for tagging me for the Meme, will do it very soon. I am reading a book right now, so that would be a breeze :)

    Cham, thanks for letting me know about the Chocolate and Fruit event by Meeta, I have sent it across to her as well.
    Thanks yet again!

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  9. The idea of going to a farm to pick your fruits is exciting to me.
    Your fruit brownie crumble looks very nice. I'm feeling the urge to eat something sweet.

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  10. Delicious recipe....sounds like you had a fun day out at the farm.

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  11. divya,
    first of all..the pic is amazing :)so good re...And fruit brownie crumble..Wow,am drooling...thats plenty of fruits inside...That sounds to be something to be tried..gd one dear

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  12. wow this looks colourful with loads of different fruits.
    Hope you enjoyed ur trip to the farm

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  13. The fruit brownie looks so delicious...
    And the more colored fruits you add would give a varied color look to it ! an interesting idea !
    Best Rgds,
    Sam !

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  14. first time here.. That brownie looks superb! Healthy too..

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  15. delicious brownie crumble Divya! Just awesome with so many fruits.

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  16. The fruit brownie crumble sounds great!

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  17. wow a fruit brownie crumble - sounds like a match made in heaven. looks really good. thanks for sending it to the mm!

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  18. I love the chocolatey topping the crumble - looks delicious.

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  19. Wow! That looks delicious and is also super duper healthy!

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  20. I have nevr seen brownie crumble before. I happen to love brownies (anything chocolate really), so I'm sure this is good.
    Thanks for participating in MBP. Sorry I took so long to get here.:)

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  21. wow..that puts a whole new meaning to a crumble, how wonderful, it looks amazing!

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  22. dropped in following the round up to MBP: Fruit Fare...delicious combination of fruits nad brownie crumble..you can soon expect to see this in my blog too :)

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  23. Hi Anudivya...
    Its a delight to see all the wonderful things you have created which is reduced fat and sugar.
    Could you tell me what is the alternative to using whole wheat "pastry" flour. Can i use regular atta instead?
    Thanks and blog on
    surabhi

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  24. heyy nice dessert..i tried it and it turned out to be really delicious!!

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Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I will try to respond to queries as soon as I can. If I miss anything that needs to be addressed... please feel free to ping me again.
Happy cooking/baking or whatever it is you are doing in the kitchen! :)