Gluten-Free Balsamic-Strawberry Crumbles

It’s that strawberry time of year in the garden!  Like oranges taste, well, orange, and grapes taste purple, strawberries just taste red.  Does that make sense?  Sure cherries are red but they taste more scarlet or ruby to me — a little more complex.  If you want to taste a true red, it’s definitely a strawberry.  I’m glad we cleared that up!

This year we won’t have as many strawberries because we replanted two of three strawberry beds in the garden.  Every three years or so, it is recommended that you replant your beds to ensure vigorous growth.  This isn’t a hard and fast rule for the home gardener, but you’ll know when the time is right — you’ll notice less fruit production, smaller fruit, and a general decline in the overall health of your plants.  During the first season, you have to remove all of the flower clusters so the plants won’t produce fruit.  This promotes a more robust plant and better fruit production in future.  It’s a tough thing to do but be patient and you’ll be rewarded with a delicious crop the next year.

I plant two different types of strawberry plants:

• June-Bearers which produce one crop per year.  This is a great variety if you want all the fruit at once to make batches of jam, for example.

• Day-Neutrals.  These produce almost continuously June through the fall so you will always have a few fresh berries to enjoy throughout the season.

During my first picking this year, I had just enough strawberries to make these Gluten-Free Balsamic-Strawberry Crumbles.  Have you tried white balsamic vinegar?  It has a clean, bright taste and brings out the berry’s natural sweetness without changing the color or tasting sugary.

This recipe for “Gluten-Free Balsamic-Strawberry Crumbles” is as easy as 1, 2, 3, EAT!

1.  Toss the strawberries with the vinegar, sugar, and corn starch.  Divide among the prepared ramekins.

2.  Whisk together the almond meal, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or knead by hand until butter is evenly distributed and mixture is crumbly.

3.  Sprinkle crumble mixture on top of strawberries and top with almonds and sea salt.

4.  Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Balsamic-Strawberry Crumbles

 

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Prep time

10 minutes

Cook time

18 minutes

Total time

28 minutes

 

Have you tried white balsamic vinegar? It brings out the berries natural sweetness without changing the color or tasting sugary in these "Gluten-Free Balsamic-Strawberry Crumbles."

Author: Brett@MisterMartha.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• ½ cup natural almond meal
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray four ramekins (12-ounce capacity) with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the vinegar, sugar, and corn starch. Divide among the prepared ramekins.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the almond meal, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or knead by hand until butter is evenly distributed and mixture is crumbly.
4. Dividing evenly, sprinkle crumble mixture on top of strawberries and top with almonds and sea salt.
5. Bake 18-22 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serve warm.

Notes

Oats used to be considered unsafe, but recent research has shown that a moderate amount of special pure oats is safe for most celiacs. Several companies produce oats specifically for the GF market. They are labeled gluten free.

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