Gluten Free Strawberry Crumble

Disclosure: I received free samples of Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax and Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic from Dare Foods Incorporated mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Dare Foods Incorporated and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

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You know how people have very specific, usually reoccurring memories? Mine involve food, like 90% of the time. One of those memory sets is all about summer desserts. My grandparents have acres and acres of fruit bushes and trees. Everything from apples to pears, blueberries to wineberries. Every summer (Actually, MANY times throughout the summer because grandchildren are free labor and I will do anything for a sandwich.) when Virginia is at its most big-hair-inducing humid, we would set out to pick fruit. But it was always worth it because I knew this was never far behind: a simple fruit crumble, very similar to the one I'm sharing with you today.

The beauty of this crumble, especially for entertaining, is you can honestly use any fruit in this recipe for the filling. Although I used strawberries, this is just as good with pears and out of control good with blueberries. It's also something you can put together in advance and bake right after you and your guests finish dinner. It takes less than half an hour to cook. Imagine the smell as it finishes baking! 

To make this a gluten free recipe, since most crumbles use a flour as part of the topping, I crushed up Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax crackers in a coffee grinder to replace it. Honestly, I think it actually tastes BETTER than the original recipe! These crackers turn into almost a crumbled shortbread and the nutty flax adds another layer of flavor.

Gluten Free Strawberry Crumble

Makes 3 ramekins (8 oz each)

/// Ingredients ///

• 24 medium strawberries (8 per container, cut into quarters)
• 4 T butter, cut into cubes
• 1/3 c steel cut oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 8 Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax crackers, ground

/// Directions /// 

Put the gluten free crackers in a coffee grinder and pulse until powdery. In a medium bowl, mix butter, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar and cracker powder with a pastry cutter or with your hands, rubbing between your fingers. The topping mix should gather into small clumps. To fill each ramekin, remove the tops of each strawberry and slice the strawberry into quarters. Fill each ramekin, using eight whole strawberries per container, mounding the strawberries in the center. Divide the topping into three parts and pack onto the strawberries. To keep topping from falling onto the counter, use your hand and cup along the top edge of each container as you pour and pat the toping onto the berries.  Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the strawberries are soft. The crumble and berries will shrink down into the ramekin as it cooks.