Our household is made up of two people: Guy and me. Our childless boys live far away, one in San Diego, and one a day’s drive in the western end of our state. We have no aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, brothers or sisters living close by, and both sets of parents are no longer with us. So desserts are for company mostly, though it’s nice to have something small just for the two of us that won’t sit around for a week waiting for us to eat it up.
Using the template provided by Food Network Magazine, I adapted to make a formula for two people, rather than eight. It goes like this:
1. PREP: Heat oven to 375F. Butter two (6-oz.) ramekins.
2. PICK A NUT: Chop 2 Tbsp. of any of the following: walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans or hazelnuts; set aside.
3. CHOOSE A GRAIN: Whisk together in a small bowl 2 Tbsp. cornmeal, almond meal or oats, 3 Tbsp. white whole wheat flour, 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar and a pinch of salt.
4. MIX THE CRUMBLE: Add the nuts to the flour mixture. Work in 1-1/2 Tbsp. soft unsalted butter with your fingers until evenly moistened; set aside.
5. MAKE A FILLING:
Apple-Cranberry: 1-1/4 cups chopped tart apples, 2 Tbsp. dried sweetened cranberries, 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar, 1-1/2 tsp. white whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, pinch salt
Peach-Raspberry: 1 large peach, peeled, pitted, sliced or chunked, 1/2 cup raspberries, 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar, 1-1/2 tsp. white whole wheat flour, 1/8 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Blueberry: 1-1/4 cups blueberries, 1/4 cup diced apple, 2-1/2 Tbsp. sugar, 3/4 tsp. white whole wheat flour, 1/4 tsp. lemon juice
6. BAKE: Transfer filling to prepared ramekins. Dot each filling with 3/4 tsp. cold cut-up butter. Top each with half of the crumble. Set ramekins on a baking pan lined with parchment. Bake till golden and bubbly and fruit is tender, about 40 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
What I did: I made a plain peach crumble using two small peaches (no raspberries), and chose almonds for my nuts. For my grain, I used 2 Tbsp. almond meal. I whipped 1/4 cup heavy cream with 2 tsp. confectioner’s sugar and 1 tsp. almond liqueur for the topping.
Click here to PRINT RECIPE.
4 comments:
I always seem to visit at breakfast time, so maybe I should be eating dessert then. Not a bad idea, don't you think.
We rarely prepare dessert except for guests too Judy. But I'm fortunate that I have some of my husband's family near us here in the summer as well as down south in the winter. My first experience with family close and it's been wonderful.
Sam
So perfect! Love your variations. I could make a different dessert every night :)
I love individual portions! These mini crumbles look fantastic and would be perfect when only serving 1 or 2 people.
Sounds great! I love portion controlled desserts. I'll be an empty nester soon so I'll have to start doing making for two too.
Post a Comment