Apricot and Thyme Crumble

Apricots have arrived at my farmers' market!  I'm excited about this.

I'm excited because, frankly, I'd had my fill of the blood oranges, meyer lemons, and clementines that continued to appear week after week.  Delicious as they are, my taste buds were ready for a change, fruit-wise.

As a result, the minute I saw these, I sped over to the barrels and enthusiastically purchased, of course, waaaay too many apricots.

This recipe (conveniently) uses quite a lot of them.  Plus, who doesn't like fruit crisp a la mode?  No one.

Thyme?  Yes, thyme.  It's light and herbal and a perfect compliment to the tartness in the apricots.  Add a little honey and these apricots are all set.

Flour, two kinds of sugar, of course oats, and more thyme.  Pecans are up to you.

The crumble topping comes together when you cut in the butter.  You don't want a ball of dough; it should be, as its name implies, pretty crumbly.  You should see little bits of butter throughout the mixture.  

Pile the crumble onto the apricots.  This recipe makes a lot of crumble.  (I like a lot of crumble.)

Easy as pie.  Only easier, because pie takes some serious work.

Serve warm with cinnamon ice cream (my favorite).  Or stay classic with vanilla.  Butter pecan would be incredible.

But don't let me limit you.  Do whatever your taste buds tell you to do.  Mine told me to buy a dozen apricots and the results were delightful.


Apricot and Thyme Crumble

Serves 4


6 ripe apricots
2 tablespoon honey
3 teaspoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup pecans, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Slice each apricot into six slices, removing pits as you go.  In a small bowl, heat up the honey in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.  In a medium bowl, toss the apricot slices with the honey and 1 teaspoon of the chopped thyme; set aside.

In another medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, pecans, and remaining 2 teaspoons chopped thyme.  Using a fork or your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

Spoon the honeyed apricots into four ramekins or custard cups, then sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the fruit.  Place the ramekins (or custard cups) on a baking sheet.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

You can definitely make these a day or two ahead - just cover the ramekins and keep them in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake them.