Okanagan Cherry Crumble

I live in the Okanagan Valley, a beautiful region of southern interior BC, full of fruit trees and ample amounts of fresh produce every summer. Last week we were lucky enough to be given cherries by two different families, and I myself had picked up a bag of Ranier cherries (the yellow ones, grown in BC, but created in Washington state, hence the name). What to do with this abundace of fruit? Well, we could only eat so many fresh cherries, so I made a crumble with my favourite gluten free crumble topping.

Oats themselves are gluten free, but are prone to cross contamination, as they are often processed in the same facility. I buy Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats, but any gluten free oats will work, just make sure they are not the quick cooking variety!

Recipe:

4 cups cherries, pitted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. minute tapioca
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 drops almond extract

2 cups oats, gluten free
1 cup sugar, brown
1/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour blend (available in the natural foods aisle of most major grocery stores)
1/4 cup white rice flour
1 Tbsp. potato starch
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

 

method:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Gently combine the first 5 ingredients (cherries, etc.) in a medium sized bowl, then scrape contents into a 9x13" baking/casserole dish. Set aside.

In separate bowl, combine oats, sugar, flour, white rice flour, potato starch, salt and nutmeg. Whisk to combine, then cut in cubed butter with a pastry blender (as pictured) or two butter knives, until butter is the size of small peas. Sprinkle entire mixture over the fruit, and bake 45-60 minutes, or until topping is browned and fruit mixture is bubbling around the edges.

Cool to room temperature (or serve warm if you like), and serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 8-10.

*I must admit, by the time I remembered to photograph the finished product, it was completely gone! What can I say, my family loves their fruit crumbles :)

**I also use this topping for my other fruit crumbles, but for apples, peaches, rhubarb and many other fruit, I add a tsp. of ground cinnamon and increase the nutmeg to a 1/2 tsp.

The crumble, right before baking