Sweet Indulgences - Rhubarb & Peach Walnut Crumble

usually a penchant for spices comes along with a sweet tooth - after all you need the yin & the yang. Well, this July 4th, we decided to have a party & invite a few friends to share and enjoy the great view of the Lake Union fireworks with us. The theme of the party is Just Desserts (and drinks ofcourse).

so what's for dessert? A couple experiments combining ideas from a few recipes on www.foodtv.com using fresh local fruit - a rhubarb & peach crumble (this was one of my all-time favorite desserts that my mom used to make growing up, i've tweaked this using local fruit) & a fruit salad (yes, a sweet & tangy fruit salad for dessert). To complement this is Gelato from Procopio, a cheesecake & a chocolate ganache, both from Trader Joe's along with chocolate truffles & ginger biscuits. All this with some dessert wines - an Orange Muscat & an Ice Wine, both from Washington & ofcourse, a port & a sherry as well.

so here comes the Rhubarb & Peach Walnut Crumble first:
4 cups diced rhubarb
3 fresh peaches or nectarines (i used white nectarines), diced, i like to leave the skin on
1/3 cup chopped dates
1 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon or allspice
1/4 cup framboise (its a raspberry & grape dessert wine, feel free to substitute with an orange liquer)
8 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (1/2 cup/1 stick)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
Pinch salt

in a large bowl, combine the rhubarb, peaches or nectarines, dates, orange zest, allspice and framboise, and toss to thoroughly combine. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter and transfer the fruit mixture to the prepared casserole. Scatter the rolled oats right on top of this.

preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

in a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 9 tablespoons of butter, flour, sugar, chopped walnuts and salt and cut together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit and bake until the topping is golden brown and crispy and fruit is bubbly in places, about 45 minutes.

cool briefly and serve warm, with a dollop of whipped cream, ice cream, or creme fraiche, if desired. We'll be serving with Vanilla Gelato from Procopio.