Strawberry Pistachio Crumble

Me and Ted Allen have a lot in common. We have both lived in Indiana, we both love food, we both like to say, “You’ve been chopped” when someone does something wrong, and most importantly, we both believe that pistachios are the best nuts. In fact, we concur on the top three nuts of all time! See?:

I wonder if he’d also agree with my top three fruits rating: Pineapple, Strawberries, and Blueberries?

Whatever the case, I was ecstatic when I found this recipe for Strawberry Pistachio Crumble on Chef in Disguise. I love fruit-centric desserts because they seem more healthy (not saying they actually are…this is my rationalization speaking). And, I love nuts in desserts because the salty, savory element cuts the sweetness and makes for an interesting taste experience. So if my second favorite fruit (strawberries) and my favorite nut (pistachios) are having a party, you know I’m there!

Indeed, this Strawberry Pistachio Crumble is out-of-this-world good. I am having a very hard time restraining myself from eating the whole dish in one sitting. The crunchy nut-oat topping is the perfect contrast to the soft, sweet strawberry mixture. It was divine on its own, but would also be magnificent with some ice cream on the side.

Side note: I spent a good chunk of time shelling countless pistachios to yield 1 1/2 cups for the topping (yes, I was being cheap by buying a bag of unshelled nuts for this endeavor), but it was totally worth it 🙂  Lots of love went into this dish!

Strawberry Pistachio Crumble (original recipe by A Spicy Perspective, adapted by Chef in Disguise)

Ingredients:

For the Filling-

• 4 lbs strawberries, stems removed and halved
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch

For the Topping-

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cup chopped roasted pistachios
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a baking dish (I used 13×9), mix the strawberries, lemon zest, orange juice, vanilla, sugar, and cornstarch. Spread the berries out evenly.
• Using a food processor, mix the ingredients for the topping until the butter is well combined, but the mixture is still crumbly.
• Spoon the topping over the fruit and bake for 40-50 minutes—until the edges are bubbling and the top is golden.
• Cool completely before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings.

What are your nut and fruit rankings? 🙂