Every week, our test kitchen team pays an early morning visit to New York City’s biggest farmers market: the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan. Comprised of over 70 stalls bursting with flowers, local products, and beautiful seasonal produce, it’s the perfect place for a hit of mid-week inspiration. Follow us on Instagram to tag along (bring a tote bag, it’s impossible to leave empty handed!) and see what we decide to make with our market haul.
They say that you shouldn’t go grocery shopping while hungry, but for the farmers market in peak stonefruit season, the rule should be adjusted: don’t visit when you’re craving dessert. We made that mistake this week, and the colorful array of nectarines, apricots, peaches, and plums put visions of pies, galettes, and jam bars in our heads. We would 1000% be baking.
But just 2 ½ pounds of market peaches can be difficult to stretch, so we spent the trip back to the test kitchen scheming about how to use them to feed all of our coworkers. The obvious choice: a crumble. For a crowd and in a pinch, with almost any type of fruit and an oven-safe dish, a crumble is a bubbly, golden-brown, show-stopping meal-ender — or afternoon snack, if you’re us. Mix and match flavors using the fruit itself (we added grated ginger with the peach for a bit of brightness and bite) and the topping (here we opted for cornmeal, for a hearty, Southern-inspired sweetness). Some failsafe combinations, if you’re not in the mood for peaches:
- Blackberry + lime (try chopped pistachios in the topping)
- Strawberry + rhubarb (try rolled oats in the topping)
- Pear + cranberry (try cinnamon in the topping)
Peach & Ginger Cornmeal Crumble
Serves 8 to 10
Special equipment: 10-inch cast-iron pan, like this one
Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
¾ cup cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
¾ cup light brown sugar, divided
2 ½ lbs peaches, pitted and large diced
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Method
1. Prepare the skillet:
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch cast iron pan with butter across the bottom and up the sides.
2. Make the crumble:
Cut the remaining stick of butter into small pieces. In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, a pinch of salt, and ½ cup brown sugar. Add the butter pieces; using your fingers, flake the butter into the cornmeal mixture until it has the consistency of wet sand.
3. Assemble & bake the skillet:
In a large bowl, combine the peaches, ginger, lemon juice, cornstarch, and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar (use less if your peaches are super sweet!). Transfer the coated peaches into the prepared skillet. Evenly top with the crumble; form the mixture into larger and smaller crumbs as you work. Place the skillet on a sheet pan (to catch any drips). Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling at the edges. Let sit 5 minutes before topping with ice cream to serve. Enjoy!
