Earlier in the summer, Jeff & I spent some time with our friends Aaron & Stacy in Michigan. The day before we left, a huge storm came through the area and left a wake of damage in it’s path. That storm also blew the power out for days, but that didn’t stop us from preparing this dessert.
Stacy and I put our heads together on this one and used what we had lying around.
The power wasn’t completely dead, thanks to their generator and we still had access to the gas stovetop so we could still cook. Thankfully there was only one bad weather day on the day before Jeff & I arrived so we had sun and blue skies during the time we were there.
Farmers Market Finds
Stacy & her mom had gone to the Farmer’s Market and picked up some local Michigan cherries and they also had some figs lying around, which I thought would work perfectly together.
First, Prep Work
I had mentioned to Stacy that I rarely bake because I just wind up eating fruit raw in the summer and that brought us to a discussion on how to remove the pits from the cherries.
I was joking with her that I would use my mouth, but I wasn’t sure her & Aaron would want to eat the dessert after I used my teeth. ;) Plus I would probably wind up eating half the cherries in the process because they are so good!
Luckily, Stacy had a cherry pitter so I didn’t need to use my teeth (or a knife and cutting board - which would be my typical method at home).
Stacy got to work pitting the cherries and chopping the figs. She decided to use gelatin to help thicken up the filling, which I thought was a great idea.
While she was working at the stovetop, stirring the cherries & figs, I got to working on the crumble topping. I was going to just spread the topping on the cherries once they were done but Stacy thought it would be a good idea to roll it out flat.
I rolled the crumble topping to the size of the skillet and together we transferred it on top of the skillet and gently removed the parchment paper. The heat from the cherries gently warmed the topping.
Tag Team In The Kitchen
This was the first time Stacy & I had created a recipe together. It was really fun to collaborate and bounce ideas off each other as we worked. I would have never rolled the topping or thought to add the gelatin if I was making a paleo crumble at home.
This is definitely a recipe you can make on your own, but it’s really fun to collaborate in the kitchen. So if you have a friend coming over, or little hands who want to help, this may be a fun recipe to work together to make.
Make It Seasonal
Cherries and figs were in season when we made this but don’t limit yourself to just those fruits. Change up the flavors and use whatever you have that’s available. An apple or pear crumble would work quite nicely and I can even see this working out great with a blueberry or cranberry base.
And if you’re not a fan of pecans or walnuts, you can change up the nuts as well! Make it your own and let me know how it turns out for ya. :)
