Crumble: Flavour saver without fuss of crust

A crumble is a pie without the fuss of a crust. This humble cousin of upper-crust pies and tarts melds fruit and a few pantry staples into a sweet and tart old-fashioned dessert that's hard to resist.

All those hot fruit juices bubble up into the buttery, sugary topping as it bakes to create sumptuous mouth-watering flavours. This rustic dessert also takes kindly to improvisation and is kind to the hostess because it comes together effortlessly. And if at first bite it's a little too tart, sweeten it up with icecream.

OAT TOPPING

3/4 cup flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 & 1/2 cups rolled oats

6 tbsp salted butter, softened.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.

Add butter and mix by hand until butter is incorporated. Spread over fruit. Bake until top is golden, 40-45 minutes. - from The Hamptons: Food, Family and History, by Ricky Lauren.

NUT TOPPING

Makes about 2 cups, enough for a 25cm pie plate or a 1 to 2-litre baking dish.

Ingredients: 2/3 cup granulated sugar

7 tbsp butter, room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds

1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg.

Combine all ingredients and crumble with your fingertips. Spread mixture over prepared fruit in buttered baking dish and bake as directed.

PEACH FILLING

Use this recipe as a starting point for the fruit filling in crumbles, just adjust the sugar to suit the sweetness of the fruit.

5 to 6 cups peaches (canned sliced peaches, drained, are fine)

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca.

Combine filling ingredients and then sprinkle with a crumble topping.

Bake at 180C for 35-45 minutes.

BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE

4 cups frozen blackberries

1 & 1/2 to 1 & 2/3 cups granulated sugar

3 tbsp cornflour

1/2 tsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine berries, sugar, cornflour, vinegar and two tablespoons water.

Mash the fruit slightly.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, just until mixture nears boiling point.

Remove from heat.

Stir in tapioca.

Top with chosen crumble topping and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

The cider vinegar softens the seeds. - recipes from Easy as Pie, by Susan G Purdy.