Strawberry Crumble

A strawberry sale at my local market inspired this quick and delicious desert. Fresh strawberries in a sweet syrup from the own juices baked with a crumb topping that's to die for on its own. This dish will help remind you that spring and summer are almost here and with them the abundance of fresh produce that will soon be available. This recipe is as easy as it is delicious.

2 pints of strawberries
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of sugar
For the topping
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of oatmeal

1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 stick of cold butter (diced)
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash the strawberries, remove their stems, and slice the strawberries in half. Place all of the strawberries in a a large bowl and toss together with the sugar and the vanilla extract. Allow them to rest for about 10 minutes. The sugar helps extract all the juices from within the strawberries, this is called macerating.

In a separate bowl. Combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Toss to incorporate. Add the cold butter and mix with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture comes together and starts to form big crumbs.

Fill either individual ramekins or a large baking dish with the strawberries and their juices. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over top. Whatever you choose to bake these in, place it on top of a cookie sheet to prevent any juices that bubble over from falling to the bottom of your oven.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden and crisp and the juices are bubbling. Serve warm or at room temperature.