During our trip to visit Jake's parents, I cooked three dinners for the family. One afternoon I was staring at 12 kiwi that I had brought with me and 6 that my mother-in-law brought over. I decided to turn them into dessert. Reviews were rave and the recipe was requested. Also, I heard, "Kiwi crumble? Never heard of it." Yeah, that's because I just made it up on the fly. Today.
No, really. As with many things I make: This is a riff on another successful recipe. Well, then it really becomes a process, right? Regardless, if you have extra kiwi fruit on your countertop and you want a delicious, unique dessert, try this!
I have updated the name of this recipe from a 'crumble' to a 'crisp' because I recently learned that a crumble that includes oats in the streusel is a crisp. Okay!
I used a blend of (regular) kiwi and golden kiwi for this dish. Then, I created a beurre noisette (browned butter) to use in the crumble topping.
Beurre Noisette [bur nwah-zet] noun, French Cookery. Literally 'butter the color of a hazelnut.'
Browned butter is one of those magical ingredients that transforms the flavor of just about anything be it sweet or savory. Its nutty taste and aroma are out of this world. And it can add a creative twist to any recipe that includes butter.
Ingredients
2 pounds ripe kiwi, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices then quartered, approximately 4 cups
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon organic granulated sugar
Beurre Noisette Crumble
1 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 Tablespoons dried cranberries, raisins, or currants (optional*)
1 Tablespoon sliced almonds, chopped pecans or chopped pistachios (optional*)
1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
1/4 cup organic turbinado sugar
2 Tablespoons organic dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
Also needed: vanilla ice cream, for serving
*These additions are completely optional. I just love the texture that they add to the crumble. Feel free to use what you have on-hand or skip these completely. You decide!
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place kiwi chunks in a mixing bowl. Add in the flour and granulated sugar. Toss to coat, then turn the fruit into the bottom of a buttered baking dish.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the oats, nuts and dried fruit, if using. Add in the three types of sugars, salt, and spices.
To make beurre noisette: place butter in a pan over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly. As the butter melts, it will foam and begin to darken. The color will progress from a pale lemon yellow to golden straw hue and, finally, to a hazelnut brown. Once you achieve the color and aroma you want, pour the beurre noisette into a glass container. The milk solids will continue to brown - and eventually burn - if you leave it in the pan.
Pour the beurre noisette into the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon to press the topping into a crumb. Scatter the topping over the kiwi. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crisp is golden and bubbling. Transfer to a rack and let stand for 15 minutes before serving with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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