After spending the weekend away cuddling a new baby, picking plums and biting them still wet from the rain in an orchard, it's made me so thankful for the time we can spend doing all of these things together now. As most of the people I love are living in lockdown down under, our situations have been reversed by the circumstance. Most of this summer has felt like a blur with writing and work, but with the winter and spring we had before it, I'm not surprised. As always though, no matter what's going on, I can find solace with some quiet time in my kitchen.

Walking through the orchard this weekend got me thinking about how cooking seasonally doesn't just make things taste better, it's such an important way to mark time. When I look back on the last year, it's the meals I've made that have turned moments into memories. I want to get excited for the first strawberries, early apricots and big black figs at the start of September. This week's recipe makes the most of that and lets you pick and choose the combination of stone fruit and summer berries. 

I hope that no matter where you are this week you can find some time for yourself to cook a meal that delights you. It doesn't have to be complicated, it just needs to make you stop and think about how lucky we are to have what we've got. 

 

Stone Fruit & Summer Berry Crumble
with spiced crumble topping

Just add one ingredient (or more) from each list below to create your own summer crumble. Toss the fruit in a tablespoon of sugar, a little lemon juice, whatever spice you fancy and top it all with my spiced crumble recipe.

For the fruit:

Slice the stone fruit in half and half again and toss it together with 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar, the juice of half a lemon and your berries of choice. If you want to use fresh ginger, add that in at the same time as the sugar. Pour the fruit into the dish and if you're using any of the other spices, add them in now too.

For the crumble:

Add all of the crumble ingredients to a mixing bowl and with your fingers rub the butter into the flour, oats, sugar and spices. You want it to all be incorporated and come together like damp sand. Spoon this mix over the fruit and bake it for 40 minutes. When it's ready, the crumble topping will be golden and the fruit bubbling up the edges. Serve with custard or yoghurt for dessert or the best breakfast.

One of the most unforgettable pieces of writing I've read recently is The Sanctum of a Bloom by Rosalind Bentley. It's an essay about generational healing, race, motherhood and baking pear pies. It's published by The Southern Foodways Alliance who document and explore the diverse food cultures of the changing American South. I've never had a pear pie but I think it's time I changed that.