basil-blackberry crumble

I am currently reading an awesome book about local and seasonal food called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barabara Kingsolver. Novelist Kingsolver recounts a year spent eating home-grown food and, if not that, local. A neat feature at the end of each chapter are snippets written by Barabara's daughter Camille about her experiences and views on seasonal foods, our food industry and some seasonal recipes. See recipes by Camille Kingsolver

I came across the basil blackberry crumble recipe this week and realized I had all the ingredients needed in my home to make it so, I did. And it was scrumptious. The ingredients at first glance don't sound like they would blend together but, really they blend deliciously. Having basil infused into a dessert was really nice surprise.

A Year of Food Life
Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver

BASIL-BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE
Thanks to Linda Heuring for this recipe

2-3 apples, chopped (I will make these chunkier next time as I chopped them too small)
2 pints blackberries (I will cut in half next time to make them easier for my kids to eat)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 large handful of basil leaves, chopped
¼ cup honey – or more, depending on tartness of your berries

Preheat oven to 400. Combine the above in an oven-proof casserole dish, mix and set aside.

5 tbsp flour
3 heaping tbsp brown sugar
1 stick cold butter

Cut butter into flour and sugar, then rub with your fingers to make a chunky, crumbly mixture (not uniform). Sprinkle it over the top of the fruit, bake 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.