Did you know it’s a scientific fact that adding sweet chile peppers to desserts and other sweets intensify their flavor?
No worries if you didn’t know since it’s NOT a scientific fact BUT . . . my personal hands-on research in the kitchen over the past few weeks suggests it is ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
I fooled around in the kitchen long enough and came up with this New Mexico-inspired fruit crumble, where the subtle zing of fruity sweet chile gives a classic dessert an irresistible twist.
Best yet, if you want to avoid gluten and wheat as I do, this is a gluten-free fruit crumble. This way, no one has to miss out on this sweet and spicy taste of New Mexico.
New Mexico Style Gluten-Free Fruit Crumble
From start to finish within 30 minutes, this too-yummy dessert is sure to make 8 to 10 hungry people very happy you’re their friend. What’s in there:
THE CRUMBLE (what goes on top)
A crumbly-textured layer of ingredients ~ gluten-free flours, brown sugar, and butter ~ covers the fruit.
THE FRUIT (what goes on the bottom)
This is a layer of your favorite frozen fruit ~ whether peaches, strawberries, cherries ~ mixed with berries. Peaches and blueberries are a favorite combination. (Luv blueberries!)
To the fruit, we add Besito Caliente, the blackberry and habanero chile dessert sauce I told you about here.
Don’t get me wrong, this crumble without Besito Caliente tastes great. But WITH it, this crumble tastes terrific . . . your crew will not want to stop eating it.
As Michael Douglas’s character Gordon Gekko says in the movie Wall Street,
Bite . . . is good.
Okay, Gordon Gekko didn’t really say that, but he could have.
Now enough of Mr. Gekko, here’s how we make terrific!
New Mexico Style Gluten-Free Fruit Crumble Recipe
New Mexico Style Gluten-Free Fruit Crumble
Equipment
- 9" x 13" (or similar sized) glass or Corning Ware baking pan
- large bowl
- medium-sized bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- ¾ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup gluten-free flour with xanthan gum, like Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- ⅓ cup organic coconut flour
- ½ cup butter diced, then softened to room temperature
For Your Fruit Layer
- 2 cups organic frozen peaches or berries of your choice
- 1 cup organic frozen mixed berries
- ⅓ cup Besito Caliente gourmet dessert sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven for 400F.
- Blend the first four ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add butter to the contents in the bowl and use a spoon or your hands (my preferred method) to combine it with the dry ingredients until the concoction has a moist crumbly texture.
- Stir the tablespoon of brown sugar into the Besito Caliente until dissolved.
- Place the frozen fruit into a medium-sized bowl.
- Pour the sweetened Besito Caliente into the bowl of fruit and mix.
- Place the frozen fruit mix into the pan, spreading the fruit evenly across the bottom. (Add a bit more fruit to cover, if needed.)
- Place the pan on the center rack of the oven (or in the one just below it if your over "runs hot.")
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the crumble turns a toasty brown.
- Best served warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- About specific brands of ingredients . . . . I’ve been happy with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free products for the flours. And I like Kerrygold unsalted Irish butter, made with the milk of grass-fed cows free of growth hormones. (Buy it here if you can’t find it locally.)
- Adding brown sugar to the dessert sauce is optional. To my taste buds, Besito Caliente is more hot than sweet ~ so I add the sugar for balance. Yet I know of others who taste more “sweet” than “heat.” Let your own taste buds make the call.
There you have it ~ a dessert, I hope, destined to become one of your favorite go-to’s for something sweet, quick, and satisfying.
