Whoever decided to use the expression "life's a bowl of cherries" to mean "life is good" obviously never had to worry about pitting all those cherries... because if they had, they'd have known that a bowl of cherries is really a messy ordeal just waiting to happen.
So here's my suggestion - going forward, when we're talking about life being wonderful, we really ought to say "life's a bowl of cherry cobbler" instead... because there's absolutely no downside to a bowl of cherry cobbler.
That's especially true of this version, which combines a sweet-tart juicy cherry filling with a buttery almond shortbread topping. I suppose there's a small downside in that there's way too much butter to pretend it's good for you, but then again, few things worth eating ever are. Besides, the effort required to pit all those cherries will probably have burned a few calories, so it'll all balance out... right?
With cherry season in full swing, I was lucky enough to score baskets of sweet Rainier and sour Montmorency cherries on the same day, so I decided to use a blend so that my crisp would have the best of both worlds... not to mention that the mixture of bright red and light creamy yellow cherries is really quite pretty. Don't worry if all you can't find both sweet and sour, though... this crisp is just as delicious when made with a single variety, as long as you remember to adjust the amount of sugar to compensate - up to ½ cup for an all-sour filling, or as low as 2 tbsp for an all-sweet.
I should also add that this recipe can be easily adapted to use just about any kind of stone fruit, since they always pair so well with almonds. You really can't go wrong as long as you use whichever one looks the sweetest and juiciest on that particular day, whether it be cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums... or even a blend if you can't make up your mind.
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Double Cherry Almond Crumble
Filling:
2 cups pitted sweet cherries (ie. Bing or Rainier)
2 cups pitted sour cherries (ie. Montmorency)
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
Crumble:
¾ cup flour
½ cup ground almonds
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter, chilled
2 tbsp milk
½ tsp almond extract
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cherries, sugar and cornstarch. Stir until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, ground almonds and sugar. Cut in butter until loose and crumbly. Add milk and almond extract, and stir until the dough just comes together.
Pour the cherry mixture into an even layer on the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Pinch off small pieces of dough, scattering them on top of the cherry mixture to more-or-less cover the fruit (don't worry if there are a few small gaps in the topping, though... it'll spread out a bit and fill in the gaps as it bakes).
Bake the crumble in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and topping is crisp and golden. Depending on your mood, the crumble can be served warm or at room temperature. If you're in a particularly indulgent mood, serve warm crumble a-la-mode with a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream.
Deeba PAB says
Just about to post it ... it was WONDERFUL!! Thank you!
denise @ quickies on the dinner table says
Nice combination of cherries and I love the almond crumble topping. Wish I'd seen this sooner, BEFORE I ate up my bowl of cherries. Oh well.....
Isabelle says
Deeba, I'm so glad to hear you liked this recipe enough to make it so quickly. :) I hope it turned out for you!
Deeba PAB says
Got it baking in the oven now, with a few small changes... thanks for the inspiration!
foodalution.com says
okay, besides having the super blog... you love one of my favorite books... American Gods... love that neil - cherries are divine and this post is espectaular!
Isabelle says
Thank you for all the wonderful comments, everyone. I'm so glad you all like this post as much as I do!
Joy, if I could teleport this to Texas, you'd have some right now. Unfortunately, I'm still working on my teleporting skills... so you'll just have to make it for yourself. :)
Nadia, that's terrible about your throat! Hopefully it was just a coincidence, but maybe you should get checked out by an allergist just to be sure. A reaction like that can be a bad, bad sign. (Though, for your sake, I hope you're not allergic to cherries... because that would SUCK.)
Peggy says
this sounds absolutely delectable and with all the cherries I see everywhere, I wonder why I haven't thought of doing a cobbler!
fortheloveofyum says
Lovely photos of the cherries. I agree with you the thought of pitting 4 cups of cherries is not exactly a pleasant thought, but the crumble sure is! It looks super delicious.
The last time I ate cherries I got a severe sore throat and was out of commission for a week, no idea why. I haven't eaten them since, I think I might take the plunge and get over my fear.
Joy says
Oh isabelle this is awesome, life sure is a bowl of double cherry almond crumble !!! I squealed at the cuteness of the tiny little sour cherries, I love that you did a combination of sweet and sour. MMmm if only I could have this in my belly...like now :)
Thanks for sharing, beautiful pictures my dear!
Deeba PAB says
I think I love this! WOW!!
Cookin' Canuck says
Great ideas to use ground almonds in this crumble!
Viviane Bauquet Farre / Food and Style says
Scrumptious dessert and photos! Love the mix of sweet and sour cherries in this crumble.
Samantha @ The Savvy Soybean says
Oh yum, that looks amazing. Your pics are gorgeous!! I'm glad I found your site- great stuff =)
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
What a lovely treat! I can't wait to try this!
Baking Barrister says
The cherries seem to be lacking this year, which has me disappointed. I ALWAYS pair my cherries with almonds--it's one of the best fruit dessert combos out there. So a definite win for you.
Isabelle says
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
I agree, ice cream makes it just that much better, but the crisp is quite tasty on its own... especially if you're eating the leftovers for breakfast, in which case it's hard to justify ice cream. (I can justify the crisp, though... fruit and grains and nuts are a healthy breakfast, right?)
Kath, I feel your pain. Last year, I went the whole summer with not a single basket of sour cherries to be found... and then there was that one magical summer four years ago, when the greengrocer had piles and piles of them for ridiculously cheap. *sigh* You can make this recipe with all sweet... just cut down the sugar to ~2-3 tbsp (depending on how sweet they are).
CC Recipe says
Oh Yes, this crumble sounds quite wonderful!
Chef Dennis says
I love cherries, in fact they will be in a post coming up.....I haven't seen as many in our markets lately though....blending two varieties together sound wonderful and that topping just delicious.....and of course we need ice cream!!
Kath says
Sounds delicious! I haven't seen any sour cherries, though, just Bings and Rainiers.
Lawyer Loves Lunch says
Ooh, I love the cherry blend! And I also like that you added the vanilla ice cream tip at the end like a suggestion. Girl, you know the ice cream is a necessary part of any baked dessert! :)
Magic of Spice says
This sounds delightful:)