Cobbler, Crisps, and Crumbles....Oh, and Brown Betties and Buckles, too!

Have you ever heard of apple crisp, peach cobbler, and berry crumble? These are fairly common names in the baking world. Maybe your grandmother or father made apple crisp or a brown betty when the fall apples came out. Maybe you made a peach cobbler when the Colorado peaches first hit the neighborhood market. And let's not forget combining raspberries and blackberries and blueberries during the summer for the lovely crumble or crisp. 

But what's the difference between all these dessert options? Some of the differences are small but reflect the region or culture in which they are made. For example, a crisp and a crumble are just about the same having a topping that is looser and, well, crumblier (is that a word?), while a cobbler is more like fruit with a biscuit-like topping. 

Then there are the Betties and the Buckles. (We haven't even mentioned Slumps, Pandowdy, and Sonkers!) After a little research, I've learned that all the various ways of putting fruit together with a crust or streusel or a biscuit sort of all get lumped into the cobbler or crisp category. The differences may be subtle, but, never-the-less, important. The 2 Prickly Pears believe that holding on to traditions and combining the new in the culinary world is a very good way to progress and not lose sight of where we came from. 

So let's break it down, shall we? We'll start with a few short definitions.

What is a ....

Cobbler: this is a deep dish fruit dessert that is traditionally topped with a biscuit or scone batter and then baked. Often this is served warm with a dollop of whip cream or a scoop of ice cream. This dessert was originated in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Peach Cobbler

Crisp: this is a stewed fruit dessert that is topped with a crumbly mixture of butter, oats, flour and white/brown sugar. It is baked until the topping is crispy and browned. In general a crisp is thinner that a cobbler or a crumble. This is also good served warm with ice cream. This dessert was originated in Britain.

Rhubarb Crisp 

Brown Betty: this is a fruit, mostly commonly apples, base between layers of buttered crumbs. This originated in the United States.

Buckle: is a type of cake made in a single layer with berries in the batter (usually blueberries). It most often has a streusel topping.

Blueberry Buckle

Crumble: this is just about the same as a crisp only leaving out the oats. This gives the texture of the topping more of a crumbled pie crust. It will be sweeter and buttery. Fuzzy history, but the name is used in the United States and Canada.

Apple Crumble

Now that I've totally confused you, please feel free to look up recipes on line and find the fruit dessert that is most interesting. If you think about it, all of these really are a loosely defined pie, with the exception of the buckle. With a pie you have a bottom crust and you cut it into wedges, these desserts are scoopable (is that a word?) rather than cut in pieces. But just like a pie they are made even more delicious when paired with ice cream! 

Today I am trying my hand at a Crumble. More specifically, a Plum Crumble. I love stone fruits like plums, peaches, and nectarines. All these fruits are in season right now, but won't be around long. So I'm taking advantages of the plums. 

So, let's get started. 

Plum Crumble

Here's what you need:

For the topping:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup sugar

8 tablespoons cold butter cut in pieces

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the fruit

5-6 plums, stones removed and slices

1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 1/2 tablespoon

1/2 cup cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Here's what you need to do: 

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all the ingredients for the topping in a food processor until a crumbly texture forms.  Set aside.

In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/4 cup sugar, cream and vanilla.  Whisk until combined.  Set aside.

Butter bottom and sides of a 9 inch cake pan.  Slice plums and place evenly in the bottom of the pan. Pour the egg mixture over the plums.  Evenly distribute the crumb topping over the plums.

Place cake pan on a cookie sheet to catch anything that might bubble over.  Bake crumble for 35-40 minutes, until the plums are tender and the topping begins to brown.  Allow to cool on a rack.  Serve warm with creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream.

Take full advantage of the summer fruits, including the berries, while they last.  It's a great time to make a crumble, or a cobbler, or a crisp or a brown betty, or a buckle.

Now, go out and make something good!!