Over this past weekend, we spent a quiet Sunday at home, cooking up a storm and enjoying delightful meals throughout the day.  Since I felt like we obviously needed a dessert to cap off our day of lounging and eating, I put together this amazing fruit crumble that I felt needed to be typed up and shared here as soon as possible.

I’ve been seeing roasted strawberries with balsamic vinegar floating around the internet for a while now, so I decided to give that concept a go here with my crumble.  I had a bunch of strawberries that I bought at Costco that were becoming somewhat past their prime, so I felt that a little extra flavor boost from the balsamic vinegar would really help maximize their potential in this dessert.  I also had some extra raspberries in the fridge as well, so I added those to further boost the berry flavor notes in this crumble.  The simple combination of berries, good balsamic vinegar, and a little bit of sugar transformed these not so perfect berries to a transcendent level – full of complex flavor that was truly an amazing fruit filling.

I decided the topping to this amazing filling also had to be something different and special than my normal butter and oat topping (although honestly, that would be delicious here too!).  I used a combination of semolina flour, oats, olive oil, and a little bit of sugar to create a somewhat savory topping.  Since olive oil and balsamic vinegar are such classic pairings, I figured this would work well here in this dessert (and I think I was correct!).  The crumble settles into the fruit base as it cooks, and the bottom layer of semolina absorbs some of the released fruit juices while it cooks – resulting in some toasty, crusty pieces on the top, and some porridge-like layers below.  This topping is a very luxurious addition to the already luxe fruit base, and pulled this crumble into one complete showstopper.

Recipe down below, along with photos.  This recipe makes enough for one pie pan full of crumble, so plenty for about 4 big servings or 6 smaller ones.  Serve on its own while it’s still warm or top with vanilla ice cream, and you’ll have the perfect dessert.  Any leftovers can be chilled in the refrigerator and served stirred into yogurt for breakfast the next morning, I promise this is a very nice way to start the day!

Strawberry Balsamic Crumble with Semolina Oat Topping

Ingredients:

• For the fruit base:
  • 1.5 pounds strawberries, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ tsp salt
• For the semolina topping:
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • ⅓ cup semolina
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Start by assembling the fruit base.  Wash and shake the strawberries and raspberries dry.  For the strawberries, removed the stems with either your fingers or a sharp paring knife, and roughly chop the strawberries into large pieces directly into a pie plate or casserole dish.  Add the raspberries, sugar, and balsamic vinegar, and stir to fully combine.  Arrange the fruit into an even layer at the bottom of the pie pan, and set aside while you assemble the topping.
3. In a separate bowl, add the semolina, oats, sugar, and olive oil.  Using a fork (or your hands), mix these ingredients together until they form a sandy mixture that is evenly coated in the olive oil.  Once everything is combined, sprinkle the coating in an even layer on top of the strawberry base, covering as much of the whole surface as possible.
4. Place the assembled crumble into the oven and bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.  Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least one hour before serving.
5. Use a large spoon to scoop a nice big serving, and enjoy!  Serve on its own, or pair with ice cream for an extra delightful dessert.

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