Nectarine and Blueberry Crumble

I had a few nectarines that were looking a bit bruised and sad, so I set out on a quest to find a yummy nectarine cobbler or crumble recipe. Surprisingly, I couldn't find one! I'm sure there are plenty on the internet, but in my cookbooks nectarines were woefully absent from the dessert sections. I figured nectarines and peaches are similar enough in texture that a mere substitution would be acceptable.

So here we have a nectarine and blueberry crumble sweetened with nothing other than the fruits themselves. It's not a super sweet dessert, just tasty in its own right. If you feel like adding a little brown sugar to the topping, it would make this feel more like a dessert than a bordering-on-savory fruit dish. But if you're feeling adventurous, try it as is and see what you think.

This is another almond flour recipe, and the almond flavor truly adds a lovely nutty dimension to the dish. If you don't feel like forking over the cash for almond flour, you could try using wheat flour but I won't make any promises as to how it will turn out. (And you might want to add that brown sugar if you go the wheat flour route, as without the nuttiness of the almonds this will be rather bland).

The bottom line is, this is a dessert that is truly, honestly healthy. Full of healthy fats, protein and unadulterated fruit, you can serve this up with no guilt whatsoever.

Nectarine and Blueberry Crumble
adapted from Elana Amsterdam's Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook
serves 8

INGREDIENTS:

4 fresh nectarines, sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup canola (or other neutral) oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In an 8 x 8 baking dish, lay out the fruit in a relatively even layer.

3. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, until you have a coarse crumbly mixture. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit in the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.

4. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until topping is browned and the juices are bubbling. Let cool for 30 minutes, then serve warm.

Ice cream or whipped cream would make this a little bit more sinful and desserty. Either way, enjoy!