Is it me or have good cookbooks become incredibly complicated lately? Take for example Sean Brock's Heritage
. Rather than making me want to cook, his recipes convinced me that it would be easier for me to drive down to Charleston (yes, all 9 hours) and have him cook for me. Not that there's anything wrong with food that takes (much) effort, but I'm a little too lazy to make it work. So I was pretty psyched to discover this simple cookbook gem - The Family Cooks: 100+ Recipes to Get Your Family Craving Food That's Simple, Tasty, and Incredibly Good for You
. The recipes are simple, easy, and healthy. It's actually written as a kids' cookbook, but I think it works well for all ages. Yesterday I made the fruit crumble and we all loved it. No fancy ingredients. Rather easy. (Sorry, the photo isn't the best, I need to learn how to style food). Yum.
FRUIT CRUMBLE (recipe slightly modified from The Family Cooks):
FILLING:
* 3 pounds fruit (I used frozen berries and I didn't defrost and drain them first, which made it a little soupy (but I like soupy))
* 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1-4 tablespoons maple syrup*
* 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice*
(Start by tasting the raw fruit, if it's very tart add some maple syrup. If it's a bit blah, add a squeeze of lemon. Taste again and adjust.)
TOPPING:
* 1 cup gluten free flour
* 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
* 2/3 cup brown sugar
* 11 tablespoons butter (1 and 1/3 sticks)
* a pinch of salt
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the filling in a large bowl and toss to coat. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish.
3. Combine the topping (minus the butter) in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add them to the bowl. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles lumpy sand.
4. Scatter the topping in an even layer over the fruit.
5. Bake until the fruit is soft and bubbling and the topping is crisp, about 40 minutes.
